As commanding a presence as Lucic would become in the NHL, he considered abandoning the sport as a teenager when hockey seemed to be giving him the brush-off.

He was not selected in the 2003 Western Hockey League Bantam Draft, for starters. Then he didn't land a roster spot with Coquitlam of the British Columbia Hockey League, which left the 6-foot-3, 233-pound Lucic playing in the Pacific Junior Hockey League.

Soon, though, Coquitlam called him up, and he began his climb to the NHL.

From 2004-07, Lucic played for Vancouver of the Western Hockey League, helping it win the Memorial Cup in 2007, his final year in major junior hockey. He was named the tournament's most valuable player that spring.

Selected by the Boston Bruins in the second round (No. 50) in the 2006 NHL Draft, Lucic not only made that NHL club as a 19-year-old in 2007, he seemed to have been delivered straight from central casting. He was a hulking, fearless, physical left wing with good hands who reminded Boston fans of Cam Neely, Terry O'Reilly or Wayne Cashman, depending on which generation they were part of.

Lucic was plenty rugged but also scored in the clutch for the Bruins, with whom he had three seasons of at least 24 goals. He helped Boston win the Stanley Cup in 2011, when he had five goals and 12 points in 25 playoff games, with the deciding Game 7 being played in his hometown of Vancouver.

On June 26, 2015, the Bruins traded Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings for goalie Martin Jones, Colin Miller and a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft. Lucic had 20 goals and 55 points in 81 games during his lone season with the Kings, who were unable to agree on a contract with him in the offseason.

An unrestricted free agent, Lucic signed a seven-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2016, but was traded to the Calgary Flames for James Neal on July 19, 2019. He had an assist in his 1,000th NHL game April 13, 2021, when the Flames defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in overtime.

Lucic signed a free agent contract to return to the Bruins on July 1, 2023. His professional tryout contract with Springfield of the American Hockey League was terminated by the parent St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25, 2025. He was signed to a PTO before training camp.