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Number Dump: 500 Games of Milan Lucic

By Cornelius Hardenbergh
Derek Leung

Except where otherwise noted, all stats gathered from Hockey-Reference.com

Last night, Milan Lucic played his 500th game as a Boston Bruin. By all accounts, he's a big stat nerd. So, let's spit out some stats about it. Start with the GP total: He's only the 49th to ever hit that mark with the Bruins, which is pretty impressive. Here's how his production has broken down during that time:

Milan Lucic 500 Games

There are 25 guys in all of Bruins history with at least as many Games, Goals, and Assists as Milan Lucic. Let's take a look at who they are:

  • 8 of them are hall-of-famers. (Their totals are much higher, of course.)
  • 6 have incurred more penalty minutes than Milan
  • Of the 18 we have shot data for, Milan's 14.9 career shooting percentage sits at 11th. Somewhat surprising, considering he generally has a pretty high shooting percentage relative to the team.
  • Patrice Bergeron is the only other active Bruin with those totals. The most recent guys before that? Joe Thornton and Sergei Samsonov.

Fight Break: Lucic vs Komisarek, 2008

Movin' on up

  • GP: Milan Lucic will move up a spot on the all-times games-played chart with his next game, tying Hall-of-Fame defenseman Brad Park at 501. After that is hall-of-famer Bill Cowley at 508.
  • G: Lucic's next 3 goals will each bump him up the all-time list. He'll tie Ken Linseman at 125, Eddie Westfall at 126, and Fleming MacKell at 127.
  • A: Milan's next assist will move him into a tie with P.J. Axelsson on the all-time Bruins assist list. The one after that will tie him with Fleming MacKell.
  • P: Milan Lucic's 307 points tie him with another Bruin with a history tinged by empty nets: Glen Wesley. 8 players scored more than 307 points in fewer than 500 games - Lucic is 31st in points among the 500-game club.

    • Hit Break: Lucic puts Van Ryn through the glass

    Who the hell is Fleming MacKell?

    A name kept popping up right above Milan Lucic's in a lot of lists: Fleming MacKell. So I had to find out who this mystery man was. MacKell started his career in the OHL, leading his team in scoring on their way to a Memorial Cup championship in 1947. Milan Lucic played a similar role with the Vancouver Giants in their run in 2008.

    MacKell's first NHL game was an all-star game. No, really, it was. Check it out. He ran away from Milt Schmidt! Great story.

    MacKell won two cups as a Maple Leaf, but then was traded to the Bruins for Jim Morrison in January 1952. Fleming played 513 games in Black and Gold from 1952 to 1960, plus 80 playoff games. Lucic has played 500 and 96. To be fair, the 1950s Bruins weren't exactly a golden era of the team. Fleming won the Elizabeth C. Dufresne Trophy his first full year in Boston. That trophy is given to the player who played best on home ice. Milan Lucic has yet to win it.

    In 1958, Fleming MacKell led the whole NHL in playoff scoring with the Bruins. Milan Lucic's linemate David Krejci has done it twice. Lucic has yet to hit that mark.

    Hit Break: Lucic Breaks Emelin

    Anyhow, regardless of what our pals at Days of Y'Orr may say, Milan Lucic has been pretty damn useful for the Bruins. And when he's not useful, he's usually entertaining. And when he's not entertaining, he's usually pissing off the other guys. Thanks for being you, Milan.

    Here's to 500 more!