Milan Lucic Fined for Gesture: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic is no stranger to controversy on the ice due to his physical play, but his interaction with Montreal Canadiens fans is what has him in hot water with the NHL this time around.

According to Joe McDonald of ESPNBoston.com (h/t ESPN's Pierre LeBrun), the league reviewed video of Lucic seemingly making a lewd gesture while in the penalty box during Boston's 6-4 loss to the Habs on Thursday night.

Tom Gulitti of The Record announced Lucic has been fined:

Lucic entered the box late in the third period after being called for a boarding penalty against Canadiens defenseman Alexei Emelin. As seen in this video of the incident, he appeared to respond to the heckling fans at the Bell Centre by making an inappropriate hand signal. (Warning: Video may be NSFW.)

John Shannon of Sportsnet predicted Lucic would incur a fine:

To make matters worse, the 26-year-old left winger was ejected from the game for arguing with officials after Montreal scored a power-play goal.

Brian Babineau/Getty Images

Lucic was upset about the penalty call, and teammate Patrice Bergeron said Lucic told him the referees got it wrong, according to Joe Haggerty of CSNNE.com: "I didn't see it. From what Lucic said, Emelin saw that he was committing himself to the hit, and then he turned on him," Bergeron said. "But I didn't see the hit, so I can't really comment on it."

Regardless of the validity of that call, the Canadiens fans let Lucic hear it. As pointed out by Dave Stubbs of The Montreal Gazette, Lucic has quickly become one of the most hated opponents in Montreal:

Despite entering the season as one of the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Final, the Bruins have stumbled out of the gate to a 2-4 start. Montreal, meanwhile, is 4-1 on the year.

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