Boston Bruins power forward Milan Lucic has been labelled a bully after a post-Game 7 incident in which he allegedly taunted Montreal players Dale Weise and Alexei Emelin during a team handshake.
But just two months ago, Lucic published an anti-bullying book titled "Not Cool to Bully in School," in which he aimed to teach kids about standing up for others and "what it means to be a true friend."
The book, which was co-written by Jon Goode and Cleon Daskalakis, explored his journey as a hockey player and the "core values" that allowed him to follow his dreams.
Lucic toured the book around to young people in the Boston area, arranging readings at venues such as the Haverhill Boys and Girls Club, The Boston Herald reported in March.
The winger hoped to bring the message that it's not OK for kids to pick on each other.
"I'm surprised that it still is such a big issue," Lucic said of bullying.
"It affects a lot of kids, you hear a lot of horror stories of what happens ... nobody deserves to be treated that way."
Author Jon Goode told the Toronto Star on Thursday he stands by the book "100 per cent" and said that Lucic was "amazing to work with."
"He genuinely cares about kids and his community and is one of the best people I know," he wrote in an email.
The image of a caring anti-bullying advocate is different from that of a bruising forward who can hit, agitate opponents and contribute offensively on the ice.
In the second-round series against the Canadiens, Lucic was seen pounding his chest to celebrate a goal and flexing toward defenceman P.K. Subban from the bench.
Weise, however, had carried out similar antics, flexing toward the Boston player in Game 6.
Lucic addressed his on-ice persona in an interview with the Herald.
"A lot of people portray you as this person as who you are on the ice, when you're sensitive to issues like this off of it," he said.
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