Milan Lucic's First NHL Fight

by Jes

Milan Lucic was, surprisingly, kept by the Bruins to start the NHL season, rather than be returned to the Vancouver Giants to captain their success.

The reason? He can chuck the knuckles with the best of them. Check out his debut fight from last night's Dallas/Boston game.



I'd call this a draw, with Lucic throwing a few good punches, but getting a lot of Dark Helmet in the process.


(c) Getty Images

Canada Dominates "Stupor" Series

by Jes



As hockey-starved as I was this month, I just couldn't get up enough craving to watch too much of this "Super Series" between Canada and Russia.

In case you are American, or living in a cave, Canada whooped the Russkis 7-0-1 in the 8-game series, completely dominating the vodka drinkers in a lopsided pile of contests, and outscoring the Russians 39-13.

Just a few things ...

1. Canada vs. Russia doesn't have any mystique to it, anymore. Sure, beating up the Russians always feels nice, but it's no longer special. The Iron Curtain is gone, we've played the Russians many times, and there wasn't anything all that different from this game from previous Canada/Russia affairs.

2. "We wanted it more!" - This cliché was actually pertinent as the Russians didn't appear all that interested in breaking a sweat. The Canadians? Sutter had them playing with gusto from the first puck drop, and they just seemed to be a lot more interested in paying the price to win. The Russians? Their hockey media probably didn't give this tournament much coverage. In Canada? There is a lot more to lose, so to speak, with the media having little else to cover.

3. The only time the Russians seemed to care was in the last game, when they started throwing a few 'sore loser' cheap shots. Canada made them pay with Power Play goals. Nice try, Boris.

4. Kyle Turris - He wanted to prove that he's the real deal, and led Canada with 7 goals. Coming from the Junior "B" BCHL, Turris is one of the riskier top picks in the past few years, but he certainly was incredibly impressive.

5. Sam Gagner was the series MVP with 15 points. Omygaw, an Oilers pick that doesn't completely blow ... at least, not yet. Gagner had 6 more points than second-place Tavares, who should be allowed to enter the NHL 'early'. Arbitrary cut-offs suck.

6. Canada and Russia have generally been looked at as the top 2 hockey powers in the world. Well, we know that is a-changing, with the Americans producing many more fine prospects, and the Russians churning out ... not much.

Like Germany, Russia spends a lot of money on stars and foreigners, but little on player development of their own. Combine that with the lack of prospects who come to North America, opting to stay in Mother Russia, and you have a country full of players who won't be able to compete against North American hockey as well as they used to.

Certainly, stars like Ovechkin, Semin, and Frolov will continue to come out of that country and wow us with their puck-handling ability, but the depth just isn't there, any longer, especially on D.

7. "Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-cheech!!"

Milan Lucic, Captain Canada

by Jes

If you happen by this blog at least once a month, you ought to know that I am bullish on Vancouver Giants forward Milan Lucic, a guy who could punch a hole through a defense, or a fighter's skull.

You can be forgiven if you weren't all that excited back when the Bruins drafted 50th overall in the 2006 Entry Draft. After putting up just 19 points in 62 games, Lucic appeared to be more of a Travis Moen type, albeit with superior puglistic skills.

Well, we know that last season was a coming-out party for the big Serb. With 68 points in 70 Regular season games, and then a Memorial Cup MVP, few players improved as much as Big Looch. I wish the Canucks had drafted him rather than Sergei Berezin II.

The good times continue to roll for Lucic as he's been named Captain Canada for the upcoming Summer Series.

Not long after putting on a Team Canada jersey for the first time in his life — one that just happened to have a C emblazoned on the upper chest — Milan Lucic looked down and, with his familiar watermelon-size smile, said: “It’s a long way from a chicken suit.”

It was a sly, self-referential nod to just how far this immigrants’ son, who was born and raised in Vancouver, has come in the three years since he donned a beak.

Lucic has been winning a lot lately.

The Memorial Cup, that tournament’s MVP, the hearts of anybody who has ever heard his story.

And he’s about to try to win over one more thing — Canada.

The Super Series officially became From Russia with Luch when head coach Brent Sutter gave Team Canada an instant identity Saturday with a bold move: He announced that Lucic was going to be his captain, his dressing-room leader, his on-ice bull, his Phil Esposito.

Lucic, so magnetic and good-natured off the ice and so fierce on it, doesn’t take his new position lightly. He understands this job brings more expectations from an entire country of hockey fans.

“There’s a lot of pressure with being the captain,” Lucic said. “Now, all the guys are looking up to me, all of Canada is looking for me to lead this team to victory. I have to accept that and I have to enjoy it.

Lucic has overcome a lot to get where he is, including a birth defect (That makes him appear a bit hunchbacked, being undrafted after playing in bantams, and growing up in a family that struggled financially. More and more, Lucic is a guy that gets me excited in that manly-sports-kinda-way.