Milan Lucic opens up about his decision to return to Boston.

In 2006 the Boston Bruins drafted a kid from British Columbia. Canada in the second round of the National Hockey League draft. That kid, who would go 50th overall, would blossom into the man we know today as Milan Lucic and he would spend the better part of a decade terrorizing the opponents of the Boston Bruins.

When it came time to negotiate potentially the biggest contract of his career though Lucic and the Bruins could not see eye to eye and so would begin a long chapter of his career spent away from Boston. Stints with the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames all failed to tap into the same magic that Lucic seemed to have with the Bruins and on Saturday it was announced that Milan Lucic was coming home to Boston.

It was a monumental announcement to be sure, even though Lucic is no longer the player he once was, but what were the motivations behind Lucic's decision to return? Following the signing of his new deal, Lucic opened up about his decision to come back and he had a lot to say.

"It's a place that is close and dear to my heart," said Lucic. "Having the opportunity to come back you can see the smile on my face right now, it feels like I'm going home."

Lucic was indeed smiling and went on to add that Boston has always held a special place in his heart.

"I've always felt like I've always been a Bruin and I'm just so happy and thankful for the opportunity to be a Bruin again," admitted Lucic.

Lucic also revealed that he has already been in contact with several of his new teammates, as well as some familiar faces as well. Specifically the big man touched on the fact that he spoke to former Bruins teammates David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand.

"Yeah I talked to Pasta and Marchy, those are the only two guys that I played with that are still Bruins," said Lucic with another big smile.

It seems there is a great deal of excitement around the Bruins right now, and perhaps no one is more excited than Lucic to be back in black and gold.