BOSTON -- Prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge against Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic on Friday, saying the decision by his wife to invoke marital privilege made it impossible for them to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Bruins said he will not return from his leave of absence this season.
"Milan Lucic will remain on indefinite leave from the organization for the remainder of the 2023-24 season," the team said in a statement. "The Boston Bruins organization supports Milan and his family as he continues his personal rehabilitation."
After his wife opted not to testify, the motion by prosecutors to admit 911 call information into evidence was denied, effectively ending their court case, they said.
"This situation is something prosecutors encounter quite often in matters involving domestic violence charges. We handled this case exactly as we would any other presenting a similar set of circumstances," James Borghesani, chief of communications for Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, said in a statement.
A lawyer representing Lucic did not immediately return a request for comment.
Lucic, a member of the Bruins' 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, had been arrested on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member, which carries a maximum penalty of 2½ years in prison.
According to a Boston Police Department report, Lucic appeared intoxicated when officers arrived at his North End apartment early Nov. 18 after his wife reported that he tried to choke her. Brittany Lucic told the responding officers that her husband had pulled her hair, but said he did not try to strangle her. She declined an offer of medical treatment.
He had been released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty.