BUFFALO -- Milan Lucic just might be giving Zdeno Chara a run for his money for the title of Most Hated Bruin among Canadiens fans.
Lucic made a lewd gesture toward fans at Bell Centre in Montreal on Thursday night as he skated to the penalty box, mocking them further by pretending to hold the Stanley Cup over his head. As for the latter arm motion, I have no problem with that sort of gamesmanship. But the obscene gesture that drew a $5,000 fine from the NHL was beyond inappropriate.
Lucic is an emotional player. His ability, size and strength are what make him force in this league. Bruins fans love that type of emotion. He simply went too far Thursday. There’s a difference between being a Big Bad Bruin and acting like a junior varsity player.
He should not have been called for a boarding penalty against the Canadiens’ Alexei Emelin on Thursday night. Lucic had every right to be upset with the official, because Emelin turned toward the boards at the point of contact.
But what followed is not what the Bruins want.
Lucic did not speak with reporters after Thursday’s 6-4 loss to the Canadiens. Perhaps it’s because the team knows he is the type of player who always speaks his mind and that it was best to let him calm down.
He will have to address it at some point, maybe after the team’s morning skate Saturday at First Niagara Center as the Bruins prepare to face the Sabres on Saturday night. In the past, he’s held himself accountable for his actions. And he needs to do it again.
In no way am I defending his actions, but we don’t know what was said to him. Maybe he will explain. In any case, it’s no excuse for what he did.
You don’t see Chara or Patrice Bergeron acting that way.
Lucic was already the center of attention before the Bruins landed in Montreal in the wee hours of Thursday morning. Fans couldn’t wait to chant, “Looch, you suck” upon his first visit to the Bell Centre since the Bruins’ playoff ouster last season. The hatred stems from the now infamous comments he made to the Canadiens’ Dale Weise in the handshake line after Boston’s Game 7 loss to Montreal last May at TD Garden.
At the time, he said he wouldn’t apologize for it because it’s something that happens all the time, a notion Bruins president and Hall of Famer Cam Neely backed up.
I have no problem with what was said during the handshake last spring. These guys are professional athletes and losing isn’t tolerable, at least to the ones who actually care. But when it comes to pro athletes gesturing toward the fans in the manner in which Lucic did Thursday night? That’s not acceptable.
Lucic is a talented player. There’s a reason general manager Peter Chiarelli called him a “pillar” of the organization. Lucic made a mistake, but it won’t change the way he plays the game. He plays with emotion, and that’s what makes him a prototypical Bruin.
He just needs to find a way to harness that passion and emotion when something ticks him off.