Lucic

[Dava]

Is being compared lately to Cam Neely. He is playing some huge minutes for Boston including 1st line PP. Does he have 40 goal potential that Neely possessed? Can his size, sheer strength and will to compete make him a prolific scorer?

[big_dl]

I love the kid, have since he was a giant, but 40 goals will probably be a stretch. I see him more as Morrow then a Neely. Maybe 60 points 100+ PIMs and your captain. Let me also say that this is a guy who has beat every expectation placed upon him.

[Bighabfan]

I don\'t know if he\'s ever going to get 40 goals but I know I\'ll be looking for him on draft day - He\'s a beast. Definitely reminds me of Neeley.

[jeff88_5]

I have always been his biggest fan, but I was concerned about his skating, which wasn\'t NHL at all, but it has improved so much that I can now see him as a 1st line forward. I had always had him as a third liner at best, but now I see him racking up 70 points if he stays one the first line with Savard.

[hockeylifer]

I think that Milan Lucic will continue to develop as a star for Boston. He is already a fan favorite. He is good at all facets of the game. He is good in front of the net, can score, can fight, and hits (a ton). Players are aware of him when they are on the ice against him. He is going to become the \'go to guy\' for Boston. He will be their captain one day. They couldn\'t do better than selecting Lucic for that honor. A very hardworking respectable player. You know he is being mentored by Neely. There is a connection.

[sd1976]

Whats with the hunch back though? I saw an article on him having some sort of disorder that will continue to worsen over the years. I never really noticed it at all but now that I am looking for it, it really is pretty pronounced. Funny story though, that made reference to Beech calling him Quasi Modo and getting the crap beat at of him by Lucic a few days later...

[Crazynuck]

The kid is one of my favorites after bringing the memorial cup back to Van but he is no neely. He has played over expectation. Look for him to be a 2nd liner who will get time on the top PP ... kinda like a Holmstrom.

[hockeylifer]

Crazy, he has exceded expectations but don\'t sell him short. He was expected to be captain of the Vancouver Giants this year. He made the jump. I am not saying that he is the next coming of Neely. We will see. I think that his attitude is capable of getting him to the first line and he will achieve.

[Orrfan]

I\'m another big Lucic fan. I think he will pan out to be a very decent player. I kinda agree that Morrow stats are prolly realistic but he has a way of surpassing expectations!

[Bighabfan]

I found an article discussing his condition:

http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/...s_rsum/?page=1

The gist of it:

Lucic was suffering from Scheuermann\'s disease, a condition that causes the upper back to curve. It wasn\'t painful, but it caused the teenager to stoop and round his shoulders.

\"It was never really an issue for me,\" said Lucic. \"Growing up, the only reason I really noticed was that people started telling to me to stand up straight.\"

The condition didn\'t affect his play until some opponents started to notice his back. Two years ago, Everett forward Kyle Beach shrugged his shoulders at Lucic in a hunchback style. The enraged Bruins prospect chased Beach, and several games later beat him up.

Last season, Kamloops defenseman Ryan Bender called Lucic a hunchback during a game and was slapped with a game misconduct, which was later changed to a 10-minute misconduct.

\"You don\'t like to see that,\" Lucic said. \"You hope guys are classier than that. But guys who do that have it coming to them. You just take care of it.\"

With his gear on, Lucic\'s condition makes it look like he\'s wearing an extra-large set of shoulder pads. But when he removes his equipment, the upper part of his back curves like a cresting wave.

\"He doesn\'t let it get to him,\" Snezana Lucic said of the taunts, which she heard during the 2007 Memorial Cup. \"The fans calling him names - they\'re the ones that have the problem with it. Milan doesn\'t. People are going to be people. They can make comments, but he\'s a strong kid.\"

here\'s what doctors say:

This condition (also called Scheuermann’s disease) occurs when the front of the upper spine does not grow as fast as the back of the spine, so that the vertebrae become wedge-shaped, with the narrow part of the wedge in front. The wedge-shape of the vertebra creates an increase in the amount of normal kyphosis (front angulation of the thoracic spine) (See Figure 1).

The wedging of vertebrae in Scheuermann’s kyphosis is most common in the thoracic spine (upper back), with the apex of the curve typically between the T7 and T9 levels of the spine. Although less common, Scheuermann’s kyphosis may also occur in the junction between the thoracic and lumbar spine (thoracolumbar spine) or in the lumbar spine (lower back).

The cause of Scheuermann\'s disease is unknown, but is thought to be due to a growth abnormality of the vertebral body. The growth plate anteriorly (in the front) stops growing but the posterior part of the growth plate continues to grow. This is due to a condition known as osteochondrosis.

Scheuermann’s disease does not spread and is not really a “disease” but a condition that can arise during growth. It is more common in males and appears in adolescents usually towards the end of their growth spurt.

If the roundback deformity is severe, patients are more likely to have discomfort or pain along with the deformity as they age.

From what I can make of this, as long as he\'s not too severe it should not affect him, and it is already as bad as it will get. Judging by the way he hit Komisarek Sunday night - he\'s not bothered by it

[hockeylifer]

Thanks for finding that information BigHabfan.

As I recall, the WHL levied a suspension for the comments that were directed to Lucic. He did not get involved in any commentary on the issue and dealt with it on the ice, later. He is a leader and the fans will grow to appreciate him even more. Opposing players, while he was in the WHL, chose not to get into fights with him. He was dominating. Great left and right, fast, and very strong.

[Dava]

Im sold. He will be on my team next draft. Thanks you