Milan Lucic announces sad news on Sunday morning.

Some sad news to share with you on this Sunday morning.

In an official announcement via the National Hockey League Players Association, former NHL enforcer Milan Lucic is officially hanging up his skates for good. The announcement comes after Lucic was effectively pushed out of the NHL following an alleged domestic violence incident in November of 2023, with the last season of his career spent bouncing around different leagues.

Lucic has released the following statement:

Looking back on my career, I feel truly grateful to have fulfilled my dream of playing professional hockey, culminating with a Stanley Cup win in 2011 with the Boston Bruins.

I want to especially thank the Bruins for giving me my start in professional hockey and for instilling the confidence to reach new heights as a player. Later in my career, I had the privilege of playing with some exceptional organizations in Los Angeles, Edmonton and Calgary. I look back with fondness at the time I spent with each organization and for the remarkable teammates I had the pleasure of playing alongside.

I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the coaches, staff and fans from each team I was apart of. I also want to thank my agent, Gerry Johannson, for his guidance during my playing days.

Finally, none of this would have been possible without my family for their encouragement throughout my career. I would like to especially thank my wife Brittany for her love and support along with my three beautiful children, Valentina, Nikolina and Milan Jr.

During his tenure in the NHL Lucic was considered one of the most feared and dominant enforcers in the league, especially during his early career as a member of the Boston Bruins. Lucic's physical dominance on the ice would play a pivotal role in helping the Bruins capture a Stanley Cup championship in 2011 in a very hotly contested series against Lucic's hometown Vancouver Canucks.

Lucic's career would span an incredible 1177 games in the NHL in which he recorded 233 goals and 353 assists for a total of 586 points. That wasn't what Lucic was best known for however and he actually finishes his career with more penalty minutes than games played with a whopping 1301 career penalty minutes in the NHL.

One of Lucic's most memorable bouts in the NHL was against Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Komisarek, with the fight between the two men having the added backdrop of a truly hate-filled rivalry between the Canadiens and Bruins at that time. Lucic's reaction after the bout spoke to just how much raw emotion existed in this rivalry during Lucic's time with the Bruins.

Lucic would also go on to play for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames throughout his NHL career but never quite recaptured the magic that he had as a member of the Bruins.

Lucic's final season came just this year in the United Kingdom's Elite Ice Hockey League where he had a brief stay with the Fife Flyers, appearing in 26 games and scoring 5 goals and 7 assists for 12 points while adding 18 penalty minutes.

I do feel some sadness for Lucic as I am sure this is not how he envisioned his career coming to a close, but I hope he can take some small comfort in the fact that he has created many memories that will live on in the hearts and minds of fans long after his career has come to an end.