To say that Milan Lucic was excited to put the Spoked-B back on his chest would be an understatement of epic proportions.
The 35-year-old winger was given permission by Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy two weeks before free agency to start exploring options across the league.
It didn’t take long for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to come calling. Lucic said the Bruins were interested in bringing him back and wanted to know if he would consider a return to the city of Boston.
“Obviously, it’s a place that’s close and dear to my heart,” Lucic told reporters on Saturday after inking the deal to return to Boston. “Having the opportunity to come back, I mean you can see the smile on my face right now.
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“It feels like I’m going home. I’ve always felt like I’ve always been a Bruin and I’m just so happy and thankful for the opportunity to be a Bruin again.”
There was one issue — Lucic is currently in Los Angeles and all of his Bruins gear is at his home in Vancouver. No worries, he came up with a solution.
“All my Bruins stuff is up in Vancouver, so about two days ago, I just bought this hat and a couple of t-shirts for the kids,” Lucic explained. “… I wanted to get some gear as quick as I could. That’s why I made the purchase right away.”
It wasn’t just a purchase though. Lucic sent a picture of himself wearing the hat to Sweeney, right after free agency began on Saturday.
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“There’s been a little bit of social buzz out there about Looch,” Sweeney said via team-provided video. “Some of it has certainly been driven from Looch. Twelve-o-one he sent me a picture of himself in a Bruins hat that he honestly went to the store and bought himself.
“That just says a lot about where his mind is at and coming back home. I think when he steps back on the ice, I think everybody in the building will feel a little bit of a buzz.”
Fans got the opportunity to see Lucic in his hate and how fired up he actually is in the video message he sent to the Black and Gold faithful via the team’s Twitter page.
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Even when Lucic was playing for the Flames, Los Angeles Kings or Edmonton Oilers, he still held the Bruins close to his heart.
“I guess I missed being a Bruin more and more as years went on,” Lucic said. “And it’s really funny; I always caught myself watching Bruins hockey games.
“It’s just one of those things. I caught myself cheering for the Red Sox. Cheering for the Celtics. Cheering for the Patriots. … And I still follow all those teams. I’m just so happy to be back. I feel like I’m coming home.”
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Lucic said he couldn’t wait for the home opener at TD Garden on October 11.
“To be able to wear the Spoked-B in front of my children just adds to it all,” Lucic said. “To get to do this in front of the fans again — it’s going to mean so much. I can’t wait for what is it, October 11? Until that first game happens in Boston.”
Featured image via Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports Images
