CALGARY – Inside the Boston Bruins locker room, its not uncommon to hear winger Milan Lucic referred to as "Bob." As in Bob McKenzie. Apparently the NHL power forward and NHL on TSN Hockey Insider have a lot in common. "Oh yeah, yeah, its something thats very well known in our room," said a smiling Brad Marchand, who, like Lucic, was invited to this weeks Hockey Canada orientation camp. Lucic has earned the comparison for a number of reasons. For one, he seems to have a scouting report on every player in the league filed away in his brain. Also, he is knowledgeable about the history of the game. But, mostly, he can recite statistics on command. "I think [Bruins coach] Claude [Julien] may even throw some statistics out, which Looch corrects him on," said Marchand. "He knows everything and you just dont want to argue with him when he speaks." "He loves stats – and not just in hockey," said Julien. "Its in football, its in baseball. He just really likes stats. Every once in a while, you kind of look at him after you say something stats-wise to see if hes disagreeing or agreeing. Its almost like the [Dustin Hoffman character in the 1988 movie] Rain Man." "Hes so funny," said teammate Patrice Bergeron. "If you say a stat about the score ending up being 6-4, you better have it right because hell let you know and tell you it was 6-5 and, This guy actually scored with 1:18 left, or whatever it was. Hes very good with numbers, actually impressive with numbers. I dont know how he does it." Yes, how does Lucic explain it? "I was always good at math in high school and thats why," he said with a shrug. Bergeron has a different theory. "I guess we all know what he does with his spare time," he said in an accusatory tone, "going online and trying to memorize the scores." Lucic insists thats not true. "I dont actually," he said. "I look at it once and usually remember it." You dont have to be a mathematician to see Lucic is facing an uphill battle to make the 2014 Canadian Olympic team. The competition in Sochi will be on a larger surface and Lucics size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), which makes him a menacing force in the NHL, may be considered a weakness overseas. Although the Vancouver native doesnt see it that way. "The way that I played has got me here, right? And I think if you ask all the guys here, the main focus going into this season is not to try out for Team Canada, its to be your best for the team youre playing for. I have to play the way that the Bruins expect me to play and the way I expect me to play. If I do get chosen for the team, I do have to play a certain way and Im sure Ill be put in a role that suits my game the best." Lucic has an advocate on the Canadian coaching staff as Julien will serve as an assistant to head coach Mike Babcock. "In Milans case, once he gets going hes a pretty good skater," said Julien. "I think the question mark has always been him having quick feet from the get-go. On the big ice, for the most part, we plan on having our guys moving their feet, keeping their feet moving, dont plan on having them standing still too much. For him, it gives him a better opportunity. Like I said, once he starts to skate, hes not a bad skater. Youve seen him beat guys to the net with speed. Youve seen him on the forecheck beat guys to the puck because of his speed. His biggest deficiency is when hes not skating, standing still, thats where hes got to improve. Hes got an opportunity to do that, this first half of the season, prove that he can play on the big ice." Lucic has helped his cause by staying in great shape throughout the off-season. He took just one week off after the crushing Stanley Cup loss to Chicago before starting his workouts. "The main thing for me was, I felt really good about myself and my game with how things ended and how I played throughout the playoffs so I didnt take much time off and I wanted to kind of keep that going and keep that high, you know?" Lucic hasnt gained any weight during the off-season and is feeling much healthier overall. "I had some things that were kind of bothering me that werent allowing my body to train as hard as I used to and Ive rectified a couple of those problems and its starting to feel better in the gym," said Lucic, who refused to elaborate on what was plaguing him earlier. Lucic is also mentally refreshed after what was, at times, a trying year. The playoffs marked the high point after he endured a hellish regular season, which actually saw him end up as a healthy scratch at one point. Looking back on that now, Lucic actually believes it was something he needed to experience. "I had a million meetings [when things were going wrong]. Obviously, there was a lot of honesty in a lot of them, but also I thought there was a lot of faith from the people I was talking to as I was trying to get myself back on track and that gave me a type of confidence. One of my assistant coaches said, Just go back to playing reckless, and thats what helped me the most. "Sometimes you have to go through what I went through during the season. Sometimes it lights that fire up again. You need that to rejuvenate yourself. I think thats what happened last year. Hopefully I can start the way I ended last year." Lucic had just seven goals and 20 assists in 46 regular season games. In the playoffs, though, he had seven goals and 12 assists in 22 games. "Im a positive-minded guy so you kind of try to focus more on the positives than the negatives. Obviously, team-wise it was a disappointment with how it ended, but personally there were a lot of positives I could take out of the way I played in the playoffs." Lucic loves numbers and one hes well aware of is 25, his age. Hes in the prime of his career and realizes his Olympic window may be closing. "You never know when you can have this opportunity again and when that next opportunity arises. Im 29 by [the next Olympics] and who knows what kind of beating my body could take in the next four years." Lucic also notes there is no guarantee NHL players will be taking part in the 2018 Winter Games in South Korea. But for now, hes focused purely on this season. "Its definitely a great opportunity to look forward to and, like I said, you want to go back to your hockey club and your organization and play the best you can for them and I think thats going to give you the best chance to fulfill your dream of playing for Canada." Yu Darvish Jersey . Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky. Brandon Morrow Jersey . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2780t-daniel-descalso-jersey-cubs.html . -- Crystal Webster avoided elimination at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trial curling tournament with an 8-5 win over Amber Holland on Thursday. Daniel Descalso Jersey .Y. - Peyton Manning made his fifth MVP award a family affair. John Lackey Cubs Jersey .J. Ward appeared in court Friday on misdemeanour charges that he threw a glass mug at a bartender at a Denver strip club.Wichita, KS (SportsNetwork.com) - The 11th-ranked Wichita State Shockers face a stern test on Tuesday night, as they entertain the Alabama Crimson Tide at Koch Arena. Alabama is sporting a 6-2 record, and the team has won three of its last four games. A 65-53 triumph over visiting Tennessee Tech on Saturday was the most recent, and a win in this contest would even the Tides road record at 1-1 after it dropped a 97-84 decision at Xavier in its only other true away game back on Dec. 6. Wichita State took its stellar 6-1 record into Saturdays clash at Detroit, and while it wasnt pretty, the Shockers put another tally in the win column by claiming a 77-68 triumph. That victory evened the teams road record at 1-1, and it was its third straight win overall. WSUs lone setback of the campaign happened at Utah on Dec. 3 (69-68 OT). This is the second straight season in which these two teams have met, and Wichita State won last years matchup in Tuscaloosa, 72-67, to knot the all- time series at 3-3. Alabama got off to a slow start in its recent bout with Tennessee Tech, leading 37-36 at the break. The Golden Eagles scored only 17 points in the second half, as they were held to a season-low 53 total points. Rodney Cooper used an 11-of-14 effort at the free-throw line to tally a game-high 23 points, while Levi Randolph was the only other UA player to hit for double figures as he chipped in 10 points to go with five assists. As a team, the Crimson Tide shot 6-of-14 from 3-point range and committed only nine turnovers, while Tech shot just 34.6 percent from the field overall and was more than doubled up in points fromm the charity stripe, 25-12.dddddddddddd Despite his lackluster showing in the last game, Randolph continues to pace the team in scoring with his 17.8 ppg, and he ranks second on the team in rebounding with 5.1 rpg. He is first in assists with 24, and steals with 14. Other solid contributors include Cooper (13.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Ricky Tarrant (13.4 ppg) and Shannon Hale (9.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg) for a team that is generating 78 ppg and allowing 71.4 ppg, while coming up even in the rebounding battle (+0.1) and slightly ahead in turnovers (+2.4). Wichita State shot only 41.3 percent from the floor, yet still posted a double-digit win at Detroit over the weekend. The Shockers nailed nine treys, missing 19 more, and got a double-double performance from Darius Carter as he finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Baker was high man with 19 points and he grabbed seven boards, while Fred VanVleet and Tekele Cotton chipped in with 11 points apiece. WSU wound up on the plus side of the ledger in rebounding (42-35), committed 10 turnovers to 13 for the Titans, and outscored its hosts at the foul line, 16-7. Baker is averaging 18.5 ppg as the team leader in scoring, but he gets help from three other starters, as the Shockers light up the scoreboard for 78.1 ppg in hitting 46.6 percent of their field goal attempts, which includes a 37.6 percent showing from long range. Defensively, Wichita State is putting the clamps on in allowing only 59.9 ppg, with foes converting only 41.3 percent of their total shots. Furthermore, the Shockers owns significant advantages in both rebounds (+9.4) and turnovers (+5.0). ' ' '