The world according to Milan
Lucic talks about amazing McDavid, his advice for Yamamoto and Oilers’ expectations
Sometimes you just need to get out of Milan Lucic’s way.
We’re talking story format this time in particular. Lucic, the hulking Edmonton Oilers winger, has never been shy about speaking his mind. It makes him one of the better interviews in the NHL.
To that end, we asked the 29-yearold East Vancouver native to riff on various topics Saturday after the Oilers’ morning skate at Rogers Arena, as Edmonton prepared to provide the opposition for the Vancouver Canucks’ season opener.
Lucic on how much better Connor McDavid could be this season: “He does something now and you’ll still be, ‘Wow.’ Every day, he does something new. I think people forget that he’s still only 20 years old, turning 21 in January. I know for myself, I didn’t feel fully comfortable in this league until I was 22, 23 years old. He’s going to continue to get better until he reaches his ultimate peak. I know he gets compared to Sidney Crosby a lot. He (McDavid) says that he’s got a long way to go until he should be in that same sentence, but you see what Crosby has been able to do as a 29- and 30-year-old. Crosby seems to have his complete game going now, and I think that’s what he (McDavid) is trying to work towards.”
Lucic, who spent his 19-yearold season with the Boston Bruins instead of returning to the WHL’s Vancouver Giants, on what advice he’s offering to Kailer Yamamoto, the Spokane Chiefs product who is trying to stick with the Oilers at 19: “Just go out and play hockey. I know it’s exciting. I know there are butterflies and nerves that come with it. At the end of the day, you have to go out and just play hockey, and it’s something that you’ve done your whole life. I know it’s different playing in front of the fans in the WHL to playing in front of 19,000, but you just have to focus on the game and what’s made you a good player.”
Lucic on his initial take on Yamamoto, a winger who is listed at 5-foot-8 and 148 pounds: “At first I thought there was no way this kid is going to survive. Then I saw him in the first pre-season game, and the second and the third, and what impressed me the most was how well he’s been coached in junior in terms of his defensive play.
“He makes a lot of plays, he keeps a lot of plays alive, he’s not afraid to go to the dirty areas. Those are the things that are going to make him a good player in this league.”
Lucic on how the Oilers will handle increased expectations this season: “It’s the same clichés that all teams use — having fun with it, embracing it. I think we did a good job of that in Game 1. We’ve got 81 games left and a lot of work to do.”
Lucic on how much the Oilers learned with last year’s playoff run: “I saw it when guys came back for this year. The mentality of the guys, the focus of the guys … it felt like there was a chip on everyone’s shoulder. Everyone was still grumpy and angry about losing Game 7 in Anaheim. It’s a good thing to have. It’s something you want to keep in the room for an 82-game regular season."