Can Lucic bounce back?

[CupofOil]

Honestly I lost you with "honest, candid interview" Its the worst pile of **** I've listened to since the last time Lucic or Chiarelli were interviewed. Must be no accident they like each other. Both discharge verbal rubbish everytime they meet a microphone.

But how is an obscure interview with a Boston podcast taking responsibility in Edmonton. it isn't even directed to Edmonton and no Edmontonian outside of here would even hear about it. Still wondering what in there that you are commenting about. Lucic speaks mostly of his boston experiences and that's pretty much it.

Lucic seriously blaming the weather, SAD, cold Edmonton temps as reasons for his subperformance? That was absolutely bizarre. Its really the worst player quotes since Andrew Ference or Klefbom which is saying a lot.

What are you hearing as valid in his latest comments? Where does Lucic take responsibility?

Some players should probably just state as little as possible. Even Lucic's season exit interview was hopeless. The best Milan could state is I'll let my play on the ice answer. But that would be a lie too.

Honestly, how can I even have a conversation with you about this when you completely ignore 95% of his interview, basically all the stuff that would reflect positively. I'm trying to be respectful here but you refuse to meet me halfway because you have these thoughts in your head and refuse to hear the other side (not the first time we've gone through this rodeo).

In any event, I'll do the work even though it was all quoted a few pages back.
Right after he talked about the dark winters (btw, he said it's not so much the cold and snow), he immediately followed it up with "it's been great ever since I've been there, the organization treats you like gold", "they did an unbelievable job with the new arena, the dressing room is second to none" etc. etc. about the accomodations. I don't see anything wrong with what he's saying here. Is it wrong to say that Edmonton winters can be harsh? I'm sure the winter was made worse by the team failure and constant chirping from the media and fanbase. I'm sure a lot of players felt the same way.

To continue....
“My first year there you go in and I’m excited, I just signed a new deal as a UFA, get a chance to play with the best player in the world for hockey and, you know, we end up being one win away from going to the Western Conference final. And it was almost like too much came at us too fast last year with the Vegas odds pegging us as the second best team to win the Cup. So many guys came off a career year. So, there was just a lot of, it was almost like we were set up for failure. There was so much expectation that it was like we were set up for failure and there was maybe too much expecting things to happen versus making them happen.
“So for us I think for us, I think a lot of guys are excited to come back. I know I’m excited to come back and go back and have that ‘prove people wrong’ kind of mentality and get back and be an elite team all over again and for myself personally be an elite player once again.”

Besides him saying that wants to be an elite (come on Looch) player again, what's the problem with what he said? Those sound like legit reasons for team failure last season, very reasonable take.

Then....
“I think it was definitely more of a mental thing. It was almost like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for our team and for me personally and it was the snowball effect or the quicksand effect. It was like the harder you tried, the more you sunk in the quicksand.
“For me it’s just mentally having fun going to the rink again and mentally looking forward to the challenges we face as a team and as an athlete every single day, where I think my mindset got very negative last year. So I was almost my own worst enemy, where this year I’m just going in with a happy, healthier mindset. I think that’ll help me get back to the player I am and I think when you’re playing with the best player in the world, you know, it gives you a vote of confidence to try and step up and not let him down. I think we’re all feeling that and we all had fun in the 2016-17 season so we want to get back to being that team and winning on a nightly basis.
“If anything getting into this year, just more focused on being mentally healthy and mentally happy and, like you said, I’m a proud person and I’ve been doing everything I can to make sure that I bounce back and be the best player I can be for Oilers this upcoming season.”
The bolded in particular. The dude freely admitted to being his own worst enemy and that he was too negative yet it's still not good enough. You said that he hardly talked about Edmonton when in reality, he went into length about everything Edmonton and what went wrong last season with team and individual.

With all due respect, I don't think it matters what he says or does because you'll somehow turn it into a negative. How is anybody to think any differently when you turn that interview into a major negative calling it verbal rubbish.
I can understand why don't like his game and his antics (perfectly legit criticisms) but when you throw out these harsh words about him after that interview, I just don't understand.

 

[guymez]

Hey...I have an idea...lets pick players based on whether or not we 'like' them and never allow ourselves to be influenced by any contrary information and then argue until the cows come home about why we are right!


I love summer but the season cant start soon enough...lol

 

[TheRebuild]

I wouldn't worry about those comments. I think it was the most perfectly generic interview possible. He blames no one but himself. He points the finger to sports psychology because in that narrative he isn't simply finished due to wear and tear.

Right now my big hope is what happened with Dustin Brown. Everyone said he was finished, and it became established fact that he was a physical player exiting his prime, and that his deterioration was permanent. It's a lazy rule to follow, and imo there's plenty of reason to believe that Lucic would be one of the exceptions that that "rule"

And ultimately it is not like we have much choice. We might as well hope for the best with him because we aren't going to be able to trade him. Simple as that. Might as well choose to be optimistic for your own sanity lol

Good call. Yeah, I wish him all the best. I was really excited when he first signed on, hopefully he can go back to being the player he was a couple of years ago, and not, whatever that thing was we saw last year.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Honestly, how can I even have a conversation with you about this when you completely ignore 95% of his interview, basically all the stuff that would reflect positively. I'm trying to be respectful here but you refuse to meet me halfway because you have these thoughts in your head and refuse to hear the other side (not the first time we've gone through this rodeo).

In any event, I'll do the work even though it was all quoted a few pages back.
Right after he talked about the dark winters (btw, he said it's not so much the cold and snow), he immediately followed it up with "it's been great ever since I've been there, the organization treats you like gold", "they did an unbelievable job with the new arena, the dressing room is second to none" etc. etc. about the accomodations. I don't see anything wrong with what he's saying here. Is it wrong to say that Edmonton winters can be harsh? I'm sure the winter was made worse by the team failure and constant chirping from the media and fanbase. I'm sure a lot of players felt the same way.

To continue....
“My first year there you go in and I’m excited, I just signed a new deal as a UFA, get a chance to play with the best player in the world for hockey and, you know, we end up being one win away from going to the Western Conference final. And it was almost like too much came at us too fast last year with the Vegas odds pegging us as the second best team to win the Cup. So many guys came off a career year. So, there was just a lot of, it was almost like we were set up for failure. There was so much expectation that it was like we were set up for failure and there was maybe too much expecting things to happen versus making them happen.
“So for us I think for us, I think a lot of guys are excited to come back. I know I’m excited to come back and go back and have that ‘prove people wrong’ kind of mentality and get back and be an elite team all over again and for myself personally be an elite player once again.”

Besides him saying that wants to be an elite (come on Looch) player again, what's the problem with what he said? Those sound like legit reasons for team failure last season, very reasonable take.

Then....
“I think it was definitely more of a mental thing. It was almost like everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for our team and for me personally and it was the snowball effect or the quicksand effect. It was like the harder you tried, the more you sunk in the quicksand.
“For me it’s just mentally having fun going to the rink again and mentally looking forward to the challenges we face as a team and as an athlete every single day, where I think my mindset got very negative last year. So I was almost my own worst enemy, where this year I’m just going in with a happy, healthier mindset. I think that’ll help me get back to the player I am and I think when you’re playing with the best player in the world, you know, it gives you a vote of confidence to try and step up and not let him down. I think we’re all feeling that and we all had fun in the 2016-17 season so we want to get back to being that team and winning on a nightly basis.
“If anything getting into this year, just more focused on being mentally healthy and mentally happy and, like you said, I’m a proud person and I’ve been doing everything I can to make sure that I bounce back and be the best player I can be for Oilers this upcoming season.”
The bolded in particular. The dude freely admitted to being his own worst enemy and that he was too negative yet it's still not good enough. You said that he hardly talked about Edmonton when in reality, he went into length about everything Edmonton and what went wrong last season with team and individual.

With all due respect, I don't think it matters what he says or does because you'll somehow turn it into a negative. How is anybody to think any differently when you turn that interview into a major negative calling it verbal rubbish.
I can understand why don't like his game and his antics (perfectly legit criticisms) but when you throw out these harsh words about him after that interview, I just don't understand.

Thanks for the effort. But I listened to the whole interview including the sickening boston comments in which he describes that market as the "best sports town" and best market he's played in" Also listened to the very awkward silence when somebody asked if he liked it in Edmonton and then a nervous knowing laugh. From a player that doesn't reside here, intend to reside here, or is even anticipating residing here post career. This is still a Boston player that is displaced here and doesn't care to be here is my take. The talking about the actual facilities does nothing in saying that he likes it here in Edmonton. He's not stating that.

Twice in the interview he states from the start "we were setup for failure" What a copout, that is the OPPOSITE of taking responsibility. Not surprising you figure his comments about the weather here were nothing. Being that he's only here in the Winters I would say its the only part in which he gave impression of what the city (not the arena alone) was like. Really the absence of which I'm inclined to think he hates Edmonton.

But lets be clear as well that Lucic is an A1 Ahole even in podcast, telling "DeRozan, hey suck it up, nobody cares, f*** off with that shit" So who then should feel sorry for Lucic crying about the weather and darkness? Again this is a Canadian player. you'd never know it.

The mental aspect and him being his own worst enemy and having trouble bringing it while playing with the "best hockey player on earth" is the most concerning thing. Because if even McD or DRai don't stir you into action its likely that nothing will. As a player you've ceased having a pulse.

Somehow I'm reminded of this famous quote;

"No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. -Samuel Johnson"

To which I'll add that "If one tires of playing with a McDavid they are tired of hockey." Even Lucic admits he's going to try to like the game again, try to like coming to the rink again? What do you think that means? Its crystal clear. Lucic is not even enjoyning hockey anymore. His play confirms that.

There is a lot to be concerned about in the podcast. not the least of which it is a Boston podcast with 45mins of Lucic living in the past talking Boston glory and a throwaway 5mins of this bleak time in Edmonton.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Shorter answer. So Lucic is a Canadian player that hates winter? How is it even possible for a Winter sport pro athlete Canadian to hate winter and have so much issue with it. Sometimes I think kids should be playing in outdoor arena's more often again and not bussed, rode to every game in every indoor arena and hardly experiencing winter..

So that in 2018 we get a 6M buck longterm Canadian player playing in the most northern city in North America and complaining about Edmonton weather and that the winter season makes him SAD.. With not even McD or Drai being enough of a shining light to pull him out of his Edmonton latitude related despair.

I have to laugh at this stuff because there's no other response to it. Does Lucic even ever think that his" f*** off " to Derozan might apply equally to him? I doubt it even would occur to him. But I'll do it on the behalf. Go away Lucic, go back to Boston. Except the team wouldn't even want the current version and contract.

No wonder Pulju was dispirited...he had to play with this sorry sack of Lucic some of the time.

 

[CupofOil]

Thanks for the effort. But I listened to the whole interview including the sickening boston comments in which he describes that market as the "best sports town" and best market he's played in" Also listened to the very awkward silence when somebody asked if he liked it in Edmonton and then a nervous knowing laugh. From a player that doesn't reside here, intend to reside here, or is even anticipating residing here post career. This is still a Boston player that is displaced here and doesn't care to be here is my take. The talking about the actual facilities does nothing in saying that he likes it here in Edmonton. He's not stating that.

Twice in the interview he states from the start "we were setup for failure" What a copout, that is the OPPOSITE of taking responsibility. Not surprising you figure his comments about the weather here were nothing. Being that he's only here in the Winters I would say its the only part in which he gave impression of what the city (not the arena alone) was like. Really the absence of which I'm inclined to think he hates Edmonton.

But lets be clear as well that Lucic is an A1 Ahole even in podcast, telling "DeRozan, hey suck it up, nobody cares, **** off with that ****" So who then should feel sorry for Lucic crying about the weather and darkness? Again this is a Canadian player. you'd never know it.

The mental aspect and him being his own worst enemy and having trouble bringing it while playing with the "best hockey player on earth" is the most concerning thing. Because if even McD or DRai don't stir you into action its likely that nothing will. As a player you've ceased having a pulse.

Somehow I'm reminded of this famous quote;

"No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. -Samuel Johnson"

To which I'll add that "If one tires of playing with a McDavid they are tired of hockey." Even Lucic admits he's going to try to like the game again, try to like coming to the rink again? What do you think that means? Its crystal clear. Lucic is not even enjoyning hockey anymore. His play confirms that.

There is a lot to be concerned about in the podcast. not the least of which it is a Boston podcast with 45mins of Lucic living in the past talking Boston glory and a throwaway 5mins of this bleak time in Edmonton.

Boston is a great sports town (probably the biggest sports town in North America) while Edmonton is a hockey town, there's a distinction between the two. I don't think he ever said that Boston was a better hockey town.
The Edmonton winters are harsh. I'm sure even the most loyal Edmontonians can understand why a player would think this, especially one who had never resided in a climate like that before. He didn't say anything bad about the city or the people.

I'm not seeing what's wrong with saying that they were setup for failure. I think most reasonable hockey people knew that the team was due for a regression after the high of the previous season. I even called it myself saying that I expected a slide down the standings because it's always harder being the hunted after having been the hunter for the first time and dealing with instant success. It's just a guy being honest about the situation, don't think that's him absolving himself of blame.

Again, I don't see what's wrong with him saying that he's looking forward to coming to the rink again as opposed to last season when it was a misery. It was a miserable season for all from organization to players to fans, it was miserable for all of us. I'm sure we're all relieved to put last season behind us and start fresh, the players aren't any different. Who could possibly have enjoyed hockey last season in this environment?

I guess I'm just not seeing the concern that you're having.
I suppose calling the Edmonton winter long and dark can be a bit insulting, although I don't understand why it would be, but I don't see anything else wrong with the rest of the interview.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Boston is a great sports town (probably the biggest sports town in North America) while Edmonton is a hockey town, there's a distinction between the two. I don't think he ever said that Boston was a better hockey town.
The Edmonton winters are harsh. I'm sure even the most loyal Edmontonians can understand why a player would think this, especially one who had never resided in a climate like that before. He didn't say anything bad about the city or the people.

I'm not seeing what's wrong with saying that they were setup for failure. I think most reasonable hockey people knew that the team was due for a regression after the high of the previous season. I even called it myself saying that I expected a slide down the standings because it's always harder being the hunted after having been the hunter for the first time and dealing with instant success. It's just a guy being honest about the situation, don't think that's him absolving himself of blame.

Again, I don't see what's wrong with him saying that he's looking forward to coming to the rink again as opposed to last season when it was a misery. It was a miserable season for all from organization to players to fans, it was miserable for all of us. I'm sure we're all relieved to put last season behind us and start fresh, the players aren't any different. Who could possibly have enjoyed hockey last season in this environment?

I guess I'm just not seeing the concern that you're having.
I suppose calling the Edmonton winter long and dark can be a bit insulting, although I don't understand why it would be, but I don't see anything else wrong with the rest of the interview.

in fairness you're not Canadian afaik. I'm born and raised here and so that it laughable to me that a lifelong Canadian winter sport athlete would find Canadian winters too harsh. its on a Monty Python level of comment. I think they did a skit once on Olympic swimmers that were deathly afraid of water causing them to drown...none of the heats survived..no one was in the final..

Nor do I appreciate a Canadian pro hockey player emulating and stating the bashing Canadian winters theme. Its this shortsighted commentary, by Lucic that just offers more support of timid pro players that would rather not play hockey in winter cities, lol. Meanwhile Canada as a country exists since 1993 with no SC's because of deplorable attitudes of Canadian players voicing what Milan did. Yeah, offended at that simplicity actually. I don't even know how one would live in Canada for decades, for their life, and not embrace the 4 seasons make up. Does he hate Maple Syrup too, Maple trees?

4 seasons is the absolute best. As wild out of control fires blaze around the globe one would figure more people would realize the value in temperate climate in a global warming world. I guess not..

Theres something extremely wrong with a player saying that coming to a brand new shiny rink containing McD and Draisaitl, Talbot, Nurse, Larsson, etal is a misery. That he had trouble enjoying it. Really I can't reconcile somebody being paid 6M feeling that way. My response to that is to tell him exactly what he said regarding DeRozan.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

We need to define what "bounce back" means.

Is it a bounce back year to pay him 6 million if he gets 20g and 20a?

Bounce his fists off the back of giordanos skull?

 

[CupofOil]

in fairness you're not Canadian afaik. I'm born and raised here and so that it laughable to me that a lifelong Canadian winter sport athlete would find Canadian winters too harsh. its on a Monty Python level of comment. I think they did a skit once on Olympic swimmers that were deathly afraid of water causing them to drown...none of the heats survived..no one was in the final..

Nor do I appreciate a Canadian pro hockey player emulating and stating the bashing Canadian winters theme. Its this shortsighted commentary, by Lucic that just offers more support of timid pro players that would rather not play hockey in winter cities, lol. Meanwhile Canada as a country exists since 1993 with no SC's because of deplorable attitudes of Canadian kids voicing what Milan did. Yeah, offended at that simplicity actually. I don't even know how one would live in Canada for decades, for their life, and not embrace the 4 seasons make up. Does he hate Maple Syrup too, Maple trees?

4 seasons is the absolute best. As wild out of control fires blaze around the globe one would figure more people would realize the value in temperate climate in a global warming world. I guess not..

Theres something extremely wrong with a player saying that coming to a brand new shiny rink containing McD and Draisaitl, Talbot, Nurse, Larsson, etal is a misery. That he had trouble enjoying it. Really I can't reconcile somebody being paid 6M feeling that way. My response to that is to tell him exactly what he said regarding DeRozan.

He grew up in Vancouver, played junior hockey in Vancouver and played his pro career in Boston and L.A. so it's not like he has been exposed to winters as harsh as they are in Edmonton.
It's like somebody living in Seattle a good postion of their lives moving to Minneapolis. It's a bit rough on the body I'm sure.

He was referencing last season when saying that he's looking forward to coming to the rink this season after what was a season from hell last season.
Do you think anybody was enjoying hockey in this fishbowl last season? McDavid, Draisaitl etc. looked beyond miserable on the ice especially in the later months. I'm sure it was awful for a lot of players. He even stated that he quite enjoyed the ride the previous season.

I just don't understand the disdain for him after that interview. Maybe it's just me, I don't know.

 

[Drivesaitl]

He grew up in Vancouver, played junior hockey in Vancouver and played his pro career in Boston and L.A. so it's not like he has been exposed to winters as harsh as they are in Edmonton.
It's like somebody living in Seattle a good postion of their lives moving to Minneapolis. It's a bit rough on the body I'm sure.

He was referencing last season when saying that he's looking forward to coming to the rink this season after what was a season from hell last season.
Do you think anybody was enjoying hockey in this fishbowl last season? McDavid, Draisaitl etc. looked beyond miserable on the ice especially in the later months. I'm sure it was awful for a lot of players. He even stated that he quite enjoyed the ride the previous season.

I just don't understand the disdain for him after that interview. Maybe it's just me, I don't know.

The present tense meaning of the statement is that he hated coming to the rink in the season just passed. Again how is that even possible given a team with McD, Drai etal?

Its like you're refusing to see that part of the comment, that is plainly made, by Lucic. Its extremely disturbing that a 6M buck longterm player playing with some of the best players in the world at aq world class arena felt that it was really hard to come to the rink. Again its exactly they type of thing he's stating about DeRozan. Maybe you didn't listen to those portions of the interview.

ironically Lucic has a series of NBA player hating comments where he slams those players as fatcats. Yet I clearly discern the same with him. Offseason training with some of the worst primadonnas's known to mankind in Terrell Owens, lol, Sylvestre Stallone. yeah, present day Lucic is as bad of entertainment as any of the sad Rocky remakes. its kind of fitting I guess, him training with a bunch of hasbeens.

A player should be THRILLED to be here in a hockey mad market that has winter, has a proud hockey heritage, and some of the best players on Earth. if that can't exite Lucic he'd dead to hockey. Primarily what I got out of the Boston interview is his ongoing allegiance to Boston, and not to here, which is hardly him taking accountability or responsibility HERE.

I wonder how long it takes this season before its really hard for Milan to come to the rink. Good thing cheques are automatic deposit though.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Bounce his fists off the back of giordanos skull?

No, we want Giordano on the ice so that McDavid can continue to turnstile him for a few breakaways every game.

 

[guymez]

Kurt Leavins makes some valid points in this article.....

From The Cult of Hockey, All kinds of personal reasons to expect Milan Lucic to rebound next season: 9 Things

From The Cult of Hockey, All kinds of personal reasons to expect Milan Lucic to rebound next season: 9 Things

He has been the most talked about of all Edmonton Oilers during the off-season.
For all the wrong reasons.
Surely by now you don’t need me to recount the year that Milan Lucic endured. Of all of the things that went wrong in Edmonton over the course of the 2017-18 Oilers season the Lucic collapse had to be #1 on the hit parade.
Some say the swoon was physical. In fact, a large number of commentators and fans alike quickly attributed his slide to a combination of 1) The increasing speed of the game, and 2) The decreasing speed of #27.
But I had trouble with that theory, particularly the part about a physical specimen like Milan Lucic supposedly all washed up at age 30. I think some were quick to judgement. Here’s why:
9 Things

9. Two “macro” stats suggest that Milan Lucic is far from a spent force. His 282 shot attemps on goal last season were the 3rd best in his 10-year career. His 254 hits were also his 3rd best performance ever. Two numbers that, when combined, help define the term “power forward”. They were as healthy as they have ever been.
8. Next I simply don’t buy the argument that Lucic somehow forgot how to play hockey and had his raw skills abandon him, mid-season. October-December, Milan Lucic went 39-9-17-26. At that pace, Lucic would have finished 82-19-36-55, a productive season. But January-April he went 43-1-7-8. So…what happened at Christmas?
7. Well for one, it got dark. By December 21st, Edmonton only gets 7 hours 27 minutes of sunlight. In a recent podcast, Milan Lucic specifically mentioned the lack of daylight in Edmonton as a factor that he had to adjust to. I know all kinds of people in Edmonton who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So why not him?
6. Most folks have people their own age in their social circles. They simply have more in common with one another. Older people often have trouble fitting into younger groups. In 2017-18, Milan Lucic was one of the oldest players on the roster. I vividly remember a social media snap of Milan Lucic at a Nickleback concert with Andrew Ference. Think about that, for a minute.
5. Compounding the above? The fact that Milan Lucic had an “A” sewn to his jersey. He was an anointed leader of a group yet was struggling to set an example for his teammates. It would be only human for someone with such a solid reputation as being a team guy and a leader in the room to have that fact eat them up inside. Especially in a hockey fishbowl such as Edmonton. It ain’t easy.
4. My family just went through a long and protracted move. I have first-hand experience how that can affect your life. In a span of 60 days in 2015 1) Lucic’s father committed suicide, 2) His wife gave birth to their 2nd child, and 3) They moved from their long-time Boston home to Los Angeles. Then, that off-season, they moved again, to Edmonton. Talk about culture shock, for any spouse in any industry. When Edmonton turned cold, dark and (for Oilers players & families) negative this past December, how tempting would it have been to instead hang out in L.A. for a while?
3. When a parent passes away suddenly, like Milan’s did, it affects the entire family unit. Sometimes, family members provide tremendous internal support to one another. Other times, it can be a fractious scene that rips families apart. I have met Milan Lucic a grand total of twice, both for very brief periods of time. I won’t even pretend to know how all of this went for him, here in Edmonton or back home in Vancouver. But I have seen first-hand how distracting, time-consuming and heart-breaking that these situations have been for others like him. It’s at least worth considering.
2. Speaking of family, the Lucic family welcomed Milan Jr. into the world on May 17th, 2018. A happy occasion, to be sure. But do the math. His wife would have learned that they were pregnant around September 15th (my wife tells me you don’t usually know these things “right away”). As strong of a person as Brittany Lucic surely is, the physical day-to-day gets harder as any pregnancy goes on. And remember, they had 2 little ones running around the house already. So…if you were a spouse in this situation, constantly on the road, in a high-stress job and with all of this on your mind, how well would you cope? How indeed.
1. Finally, we all-too-often forget that NHL players are real people. They deal with the very same human frailties that most of us do. Society has been slow to recognize and accept that things such as mental ailments, pressure and stress are every bit as real as physical injuries. The fact that you are wealthy, famous, physically fit does not make you immune to such things. In fact how ironic is it that professional athletes, routinely put up on a pedestal, rarely get the compassion that any average person in a similar situation would deserve?
This is a highly personal take. I have respect for the player. I feel that too many criticisms of him, while perhaps not altogether inaccurate, have also been somewhat narrow and shallow. Yes, Milan Lucic is a professional being extremely well compensated to do his job and do it well. No, there is nothing wrong with high expectations. But not all of the factors at play will appear in statistics or graphs.
So when Milan Lucic told Oilers broadcaster Bob Stauffer at the conclusion of last season that his struggles had been “90% mental”, did you consider that it wasn’t just that Lucic had been “squeezing the stick too hard”.
Maybe instead…it was life squeezing Milan?
Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

 

[Little Fury]

Kurt Leavins makes some valid points in this article.....

From The Cult of Hockey, All kinds of personal reasons to expect Milan Lucic to rebound next season: 9 Things

That looks less like a list of reasons to think he'll be better than excuses for why he was bad. And if those are reasons why he was bad, why would we assume he'll get better? Is Edmonton not going to be dark in winter this year?

Christ, that guy is a hockey journalist and he can't even come up with "after a year where Lucic had a career low shooting percentage, he has a good chance of regressing to the mean."

 

[guymez]

That looks less like a list of reasons to think he'll be better than excuses for why he was bad. And if those are reasons why he was bad, why would we assume he'll get better? Is Edmonton not going to be dark in winter this year?

Christ, that guy is a hockey journalist and he can't even come up with "after a year where Lucic had a career low shooting percentage, he has a good chance of regressing to the mean."

The point was pretty obvious. Instead of pretending that we know what the future holds for Lucic maybe just maybe there is enough to suggest that he is capable of bouncing back.

I know that flies in the face of your (and others) ongoing narrative of negativity but it has merit.

 

[Little Fury]

The point was pretty obvious. Instead of pretending that we know what the future holds for Lucic maybe just maybe there is enough to suggest that he is capable of bouncing back.

I know that flies in the face of your (and others) ongoing narrative of negativity but it has merit.

See, I don't think Leavins' armchair quarterbacking of Lucic's mental state and family/social life has any merit whatsoever.

Again, I think we can expect some level of rebound from Lucic next year simply because he can't be as bad as he was from late December on, but there's two years of evidence to suggest he might be a spent force as a 5v5 scorer.

 

[McClelland]

Lucic has given slowmotion a face! He going down hill and thats a sad thing, great team guy and enforcer if payed him 2 m maximum. We are stucked with a bonebraking contract, ultra-slow and the puck dies on his stick. Hope we can make a pp role player of him , Holmstrom 2.0 , its the only thing we can hope for.

And we cryed about Horcoffs contract for years!

 

[Drivesaitl]

The guy also looks speciously at realtime NHL stats, which generally are poor quality stats that lack standardization and cites hits while ignoring that Lucic's ratio of Giveaways to takeaways is deplorable. These stats found on the same stat page, just different columns.. Over 3 to 1 he's giving the puck away over taking it. For a supposed physically dominating "power forward" you wouldn't expect those numbers. The aspect of dominating suggests winning pucks out there and furthering possession, if not production. If you are ONLY imposing your will on hits not a lot of benefit is served during regular season play (different in playoff series) its being not all that helpful.

The 282 shot attempts is another laugher as only half of those ended up on net. That Lucic was getting so many shots could be attributed to two of the best Centers in hockey feeding him constantly, and him whiffing for much of the season and in a lot of attempts ( I wonder what actually gets counted) barely making contact with the puck. Are complete whiffs counted? are those attempts? Who knows, its not even quantified described data. Lucic got off maybe 40 good shots all season. Again deplorable. His shooting % was low for a reason. But the most important aspect of his shooting? That Milan scored a grand total of 10goals. If I stated Milan was going to score only 10 goals all season people here would have sworn at me.

lol at baby excuse, wife pregnant excuse, SAD excuse, weather, season excuse. The list keeps growing. Maybe the Jetstream won't be quite right this season or Jupiter sign is in Venus...

But as Little Fury mentioned edmontons latitude isn't changing anytime soon and Lucic now has 3 toddlers to keep him tired and his father died over 3years ago now. The effects of which can last, but if they last it doesn't change much, its always a weight.


The weird thing is that in all of the excuses theres not one mention of why it will be different or easier this year for Lucic. I would think it would be harder to be a legit player after playing the way he did for 45 games to end the season. He's even got doubts. That he's questioning his mental fortitude and SAD should be troubling. Its as hard getting out of the ditch as anything.

 

[guymez]

See, I don't think Leavins' armchair quarterbacking of Lucic's mental state and family/social life has any merit whatsoever.

Again, I think we can expect some level of rebound from Lucic next year simply because he can't be as bad as he was from late December on, but there's two years of evidence to suggest he might be a spent force as a 5v5 scorer.

Of course you dont think it has merit. Doesnt matter what the content was.
You clearly dont think he is capable of bouncing back so of course you are going to dismiss anything to the contrary.

C'est la vie.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Actually the funniest thing in the article is Lucic having to go out to see Nickelback with Andrew Ference. That would be a special kind of hell.. hehe But its hilarious this was used as some sort of excuse.

But man, Lucic is 30? Now were spinning a yarn that he's generationally different, sucks at Fortnight, and likes the wrong flavor of potato chips and doesn't fit in. jebus half these kids were prepared to see him as a legend worth of respect. Maybe his play on the ice could be conducive to that.

I'm twice the age of Lucic and try to stay more current to what different generations like and trying to stay young etc and be half able to interact with people in diff generations. But going out with Ference would just be another Boston connection and another indication of where his allegiances lie. Not here. Not present. This is seemingly another living in the past player. Really his reminiscing about times in Boston sounded similar to that of a retired NHL player, not a current one. People should listen to some of that part of the spittin chicklets podcast. Its like this guy has early nostalgia.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Bounceback? What does that even mean. basically showing up and having a pulse would net more than 10 goals this season given the players usage and PP usage. But as others have mentioned what would actually define a bounceback year for Lucic? it should be around 50pt range, depending on usage, right?

Heres a disturbing thing. Lucic only has 18EV goals since being here. Maroon had 46EV goals here. Similar games played here. Similar linemates.

go figure

 

[Little Fury]

Of course you dont think it has merit. Doesnt matter what the content was.
You clearly dont think he is capable of bouncing back so of course you are going to dismiss anything to the contrary.

C'est la vie.

I guess you didn't read the post you quoted here huh?

 

[Drivesaitl]

I guess you didn't read the post you quoted here huh?

Its a wonder if the poster in question even knows what thread he is posting in..

I doubt he read much of the citation. he likes to take shots at people here for not being eternally optimistic about the worst run pro sports franchise.

 

[Little Fury]

Jordan Eberle: "Reading news reports about how much you suck really messes with your confidence."
Edmonton Media: "Lol you're mentally weak, suck it up."

Milan Lucic: "It's cold and dark in the winter here."
Edmonton Media: "Oh my poor dear boy, have some Aveeno."

 

[harpoon]

Actually the funniest thing in the article is Lucic having to go out to see Nickelback with Andrew Ference. That would be a special kind of hell.. hehe But its hilarious this was used as some sort of excuse.

Glad I'm not the only one who found that point in particular utterly laughable. In fact I actually laughed out loud when I read it. I have a couple problems with the point.

1) He's not hanging out with current team mates because he's 'older'? Weak. Lucic was signed to be a leader, given the A to be a leader. And an example.

2) Ference? Really? A guy who ripped off the Oilers and their fans by lollygagging on LTIR while running marathons and brown nosing Eakins? This is who Lucic chooses to spend his free time with? What is he doing ... getting pointers on how to work the system?

3) Coupled with his obvious love for all things Boston I find it troubling that he's hanging out with Ference instead of working to foster good relationships with current team mates. Ference was not a good influence on the team during the brief period he played here. I doubt he's a good influence on Lucic.

4) Nickelback ...

The rest of the article cited was junk as well, but then the author acknowledges that he's only spoken to Lucic once or twice so I guess his opinion is only slightly more relevant as that of any random poster on this board.

 

[harpoon]

Jordan Eberle: "Reading news reports about how much you suck really messes with your confidence."
Edmonton Media: "Lol you're mentally weak, suck it up."

Milan Lucic: "It's cold and dark in the winter here."
Edmonton Media: "Oh my poor dear boy, have some Aveeno."

An excellent comment. Thanks for saving me the trouble of posting this myself. It seems like some fans don't recognize the double standard in what they post.