Bruins forward Milan Lucic pleads not guilty in Boston court for assaulting his wife

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was released on bail Tuesday after pleading not guilty to assaulting his wife.

According to a Boston Police Department report, Lucic appeared intoxicated when officers arrived at his North End apartment early Saturday morning after his wife reported he had tried to strangle her. Brittany Lucic told responding officers that her husband had pulled her hair, but she said he did not try to strangle her. She rejected an offer of medical treatment.

Milan Lucic, a member of the 2011 Stanley Cup champion Bruins team, was arrested on suspicion of assault on a family member, which carries a maximum sentence of two and a half years in prison.

The Vancouver native did not speak during his arraignment Tuesday morning. He entered a not guilty plea on his behalf and a pretrial hearing was set for January 19. As a condition of his bail, Lucic was prohibited from abusing the alleged victim and consuming alcohol.

The judge granted a motion by Lucic’s attorney to allow him to attend the next hearing by video call.

Lucic’s agent did not respond to an email seeking comment over the weekend, and did not respond to a text message seeking comment on Monday.

The six-foot-three, 236-pound Vancouver native hasn’t played since Oct. 21 due to injury. He has two assists in four games this season.

The Bruins said Saturday that Lucic would be taking an indefinite leave from the team. Head coach Jim Montgomery and captain Brad Marchand said they would provide Lucic’s family with all necessary support, but declined to comment on the arrest.