Bruins’ Milan Lucic enters NHL/NHLPA player assistance program

Lucic entered a plea of not guilty to one count of assault and battery against a family member in Boston Municipal Court on Tuesday morning and was released on his own recognizance by the judge.

According to the Associated Press, Lucic did not speak in court. The plea was entered on his behalf and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for Jan. 19.

As condition of his bail, which includes no money forfeiture but a signed promise to appear in court when required to do so, Lucic is prohibited from abusing or harassing his wife and from consuming alcohol. He was also granted the ability to appear on the next hearing via video call.

Lucic, 35, was arrested by Boston Police in the early morning hours of Nov. 18 after a domestic incident. Sources told Daily Faceoff that a 911 call was made on Friday night saying that Lucic attempted to choke his wife, Brittany, after a verbal argument allegedly turned physical.

The Bruins announced on Saturday that Lucic was taking an “indefinite leave of absence” from the team after what it only described as an “incident.”

The NHL does not have a clearly defined domestic violence policy, though Lucic would be subject to discipline for off-ice conduct by commissioner Gary Bettman.

The NHL and NHLPA formed the player assistance program to assist players dealing with mental health, alcohol and substance abuse, and other issues. Players can remain in the program for as long as they want, but must be cleared in order to leave.