Milan Lucic: A Coast to Coast Foe

Milan Lucic has punched David Clarkson in the face at least nine times. It is an unofficial count based on video evidence that was sometimes grainy, but always damning for Clarkson, now playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs: He was badly outmatched.
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In December 2007, Lucic, the glowering Boston Bruins forward, ended their first fight on a thunderous right cross that left Clarkson in a daze on his feet. In their second fight, held last spring, Clarkson ended up on his back, on the ice, after a devastating combination.

“There’s guys that can score, fight and hit,” Clarkson said earlier this week. “And I think he’s one of those guys who does all three.”

Lucic, now in his eighth season with the Bruins, has demonstrated an aptitude in a fourth facet, as well. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound veteran is an old-fashioned villain, hated in more cities than he is loved, reviled in markets sprinkled across the National Hockey League.