For the first time since 2006, the NHL Draft is returning to Vancouver. The event will be held at the Rogers Arena, the home of the Vancouver Canucks. And ahead of this year's draft, a former Bruins player was getting nostalgic.
Milan Lucic, a former second-round pick of the Bruins, was selected in Vancouver and clearly remembers it fondly. Lucic took to Twitter to remember his selection in the '06 NHL Draft and wished this year's prospects good luck.
This was a nice gesture by Lucic, and it certainly brings back some good memories for Bruins fans.
While Lucic hasn't been an effective player in the most recent years of his career, he was a big part of the Bruins' success during their 2011 Stanley Cup run. Playing on the first line with David Krejci and, when healthy, Nathan Horton, Lucic was a big, physical forward and scorer for the B's.
During Lucic's eight years with the squad, he totaled 342 points (139 goals) and logged a whopping 1,580 hits. He always brought physicality and was widely regarded as one of the better power forwards in the league. His top-line physicality is surely something the Bruins could use now, and that's part of the reason that they may look for a top-6 power forward this offseason.
Boston Bruins
The 2006 draft was a really solid one overall for the Bruins. They were able to get Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic, and Brad Marchand with three of their first four picks, and they also were able to swing a deal for Tuukka Rask during the event (giving up Andrew Raycroft). Those four players became key building blocks for the team, with Lucic and Marchand helping to lead the team to a Stanley Cup title and Rask nearly getting them a title in 2013 and 2019.
The Bruins will look for similar success in this year's draft. The draft will begin at 8:00 p.m. and can be seen on NBC Sports Network.
Click here to see the Bruins' pick in Joe Haggerty's final mock draft>>>
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