Milan Lucic announced through the Boston Bruins that his father, Dobro, died earlier this week in the family’s hometown of Vancouver.
“I learned on Wednesday, April 22 that my father passed away unexpectedly in Vancouver,” he said. “My family and I am very grateful for the outpouring of support from the hockey community, friends and fans from around the world.
“We kindly ask everyone to respect our privacy during this difficult and sad time.”
Bruins President Cam Neely issued the following statement on the passing of Lucic’s father:
“On behalf of the Jacobs family and the entire Boston Bruins organization I would like to express our deepest condolences to Milan and his family on the passing of his father, Dobro.
Our thoughts will be with the Lucic family during this time, and we will be here to offer them support in any way that we can.”
Lucic, 26, has spent his entire professional career with the Bruins since the organization selected him in the second round of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.