On April 22 of this year, just two months before Milan Lucic was traded from Boston to Los Angeles, Lucic's father, Dobro Lucic, died unexpectedly. Milan Lucic and his family kept the circumstances surrounding his father's death understandably quiet at the time, but in an interview with Hockey Night In Canada Saturday, Lucic finally shared with the public what really happened.
Lucic's father committed suicide.
"Because it was a suicide, it was definitely hard on me," Lucic told the cameras. "Not having my dad there to call or have him call me is definitely something that I'm still getting used to, but at the back of my mind, I know what he would say to me in certain situations and try to use it to keep making him proud."
Milan Lucic's father's death was just the start of an up-and-down summer for the winger. Lucic's wife delivered their second child, another daughter, on May 20. The trade from the only organization Lucic ever knew in Boston to a Kings team on the other side of the country came on June 26. That makes three life-changing moments for Lucic and his family in just over two months.
Lucic admitted the summer was the most difficult one of his life, but he appears to be settling in now in LA. After going without a point in his first five games with the Kings, he collected 10 points (five goals, five assists) through the next 12 tilts. He still plays a physical role and has 18 penalty minutes in 17 games. His goal-scoring pace has also picked up recently, as Lucic has goals in three of his last four games.
The winger will always be a polarizing figure in the NHL due to his physical and emotional style of play, but Lucic is human as well, and it is clear that he has been through quite a bit of adversity over the last six months.
(h/t SportsNet)
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