Lucic’s Season Over After Domestic Abuse Case Dismissed

Hours after the domestic abuse case against him was dismissed on Friday morning, the Boston Bruins announced that winger Milan Lucic’s 2023-24 season is over.

“Milan Lucic will remain on indefinite leave from the organization for the remainder of the 2023-24 season,” the team said in an official statement just after 3 p.m. ET. “The Boston Bruins organization supports Milan and his family as he continues his personal rehabilitation.”

Lucic, 35, is on a one-year, $1 million bonus-laden contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Lucic appeared in Boston Municipal Court on Friday morning for the first day of the trial, and it turned out that it was also the last. At the beginning of the trial, the prosecution and the defense announced that Lucic’s wife, Brittany, invoked her marital privilege and declined to testify. That left prosecutors with only the two arresting police officers and the 911 dispatch operator as witnesses testifying against Lucic.

After a motion in limine regarding the 911 call was made by the defense, Judge Paul M. Treseler ruled that Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden’s office could not rely on the 911 recording the police and prosecution alleged Brittany Lucic made that morning without her appearing in court to take the stand as a prosecution witness.

NOTE: A motion in limine is a pretrial motion that seeks the exclusion of specific evidence or arguments from being presented during a trial. A motion in limine is decided by the judge outside of the presence of the jury.

“Milan is very happy,” Lucic’s defense attorney Gary G. Pelletier told the Boston Globe. “He’s looking forward to getting his life back on track and get his career back on track.”

Milan Lucic was arrested on Nov. 19 after his wife called the Boston Police to report a domestic incident. According to the report obtained by the Boston Globe, the 6-foot-3, 236-pound winger became agitated and eventually physical when he couldn’t find his mobile phone after returning home from what appeared to be a night of drinking. Lucic’s wife stated to police that there was an argument as he, according to the police report:

“Began yelling at her, demanding his phone back, believing she had hidden the phone.”

“He then “grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backward,” the report also stated.

“She stated that in doing so, the suspect stated to her that she was not going anywhere,” police wrote.

The report also said that Mrs. Lucic indicated the Bruins winger was intoxicated.

When police met her in the lobby of the Battery St. condo building that the Lucics live in, one police officer “observed redness” on Mrs. Lucic’s chest and asked her if Lucic had “attempted to strangle her during the incident.

“She stated he did not,” police wrote.

It should be noted that Mrs. Lucic had stated in her 911 call that the Boston Bruins winger did ‘try to choke her’

Eventually, the police went upstairs to speak to Milan Lucic, and when they arrived, they could see that he was drinking. The police began to question him.

“He stated to officers nothing happened and did not provide an explanation,” the report said.

According to the report, the police still decided to arrest Lucic, and when they did, he was cooperative. When they took him to his bedroom to gather some clothing, the police officers noticed a broken lamp and what appeared to be a ‘small amount’ of glass on the floor. Lucic told them they were ‘broken shards of plastic,’ and he was taken into custody peacefully.

Lucic then appeared (in person) in court on Nov. 22 and pleaded not guilty. He was officially charged with assault and battery on a family member on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at the Suffolk County Superior Courthouse in Boston. He was released on personal recognizance with a no-abuse order and no alcohol while the case was pending. A pre-trial took place in early January, and Lucic’s wife did not drop the charges. That led to the trial opening up and subsequently closing on Friday.