It’s Murder Night for Milan Lucic vs. Canadiens

The last time Milan Lucic met the Montreal Canadiens in a meaningful game, he was shaking hands with the men who ended the Boston Bruins’ season and telling at least two of them that he was  “going to [expletive] kill you next year."

Well, happy new year, everyone: Lucic and the Bruins are the opponent for the Montreal Canadiens’ home opener on Thursday night.

“We know we’re headed into Montreal, it’s their home opener and they beat us last year in the playoffs. But we can’t think about that. We have to go out there thinking about winning a hockey game,” said Lucic after the Bruins’ shootout win against the Detroit Red Wings. “Right now I’ve got zero points and I’m a minus-1, so I’m more worried about winning a hockey game, and producing. … If anything happens it will happen, but I’m just looking forward to playing hard and winning a hockey game.”

So, nothing about murder then.

One of the targets of Lucic’s ire was Dale Weise, whom he called a “baby” for discussing the infantile exchanges between Lucic and the Canadiens with the media. (Although Weise never actually quoted what was said on the handshake line.)

Did he lose respect for Lucic? Actually not.

“If he were to have shook my hand and been happy about losing, I would have lost respect for him,” Weise said, via WEEI.

Weise may or may not play, although Habs Eyes On The Prize has published his eulogy just in case. Alexei Emelin, another player Lucic threatened to murder during a postgame handshake line, will be in the Canadiens’ lineup.

Whether or not he plays, Weise doesn’t expect anything above and beyond the norm for these teams.

“There’s always animosity. I don’t think there’s going to be anything different,” Weise said after practice on Wednesday.

That said, some advice from Joe Amsterdam:

See, who needs Viola Davis?