Jakub Lauko’s tattoos tell a story that is deeper than ink

Bruins

“I’m just trying to play for him, because I knew his dream was to play in the NHL, too.”

Jakub Lauko has made his presence felt with the Bruins this season. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

Jakub Lauko tends to show his emotions on the surface.

On the ice, the 23-year-old Czech winger has ingratiated himself with Bruins fans in short order, creating chaos every time he jumps the boards.

The celebration is expected to be raucous when the lamp is lit. When he takes down a skater with some right hooks, the container of sin becomes his pedestal, where he asks for applause from an irritated crowd. like a triumphant fighter perched atop the octagon.

Off the ice, the affable Lauko has woven into the fabric of the Bruins’ tight-knit locker room, injecting exuberance, enthusiasm and snack supply needed in a marathon of 82 games.

“It’s a circular saw. I sit next to him in the room,” Jake DeBrusk said of Lauko. “So they throw a lot of grapes at me.”

And given her aversion to subtlety, it’s no surprise that Lauko’s personality and eclectic tastes are etched in ink all over her arms.

For most NHL players, the canvas available on their body is usually reserved for tributes to their hometown or for a permanent stamp on a memorable date or achievement.

Lauko isn’t exactly like most NHL players.

Through hours and hours spent in a Czech tattoo parlor, Lauko has created a tapestry featuring the Tolkien-inspired story, Daenerys Targaryen, and a tribute to a fallen hockey brother.

All this only Lauko. All of this tells the story of a young hockey player who lives his dream and enjoys every second of it.

“Everyone always asks, ‘What the hell [expletive] what you’re doing,’” Lauko told Boston.com about his tattoos. “I want something I like. I don’t need to have the same thing that millions of other people have. “I want to have something that is personal to me.”

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It takes a few seconds of scrolling through Lauko’s Twitter to discover his affinity for JRR Tolkien and the “Lord of the Rings” book/film series.

A day after an errant skateboard blade nearly robbed Lauko of his vision in late October, he posted an update on his condition: replacing his face with that of an orc.

Lauko shows his appreciation for Tolkien’s works.

He is a big fan of movies (his favorite choice is “The Fellowship of the Ring”). He has also read all the books, his favorite being “The Silmarillion,” a collection of Tolkien’s stories telling the history of the Middle East. -Land.

“It’s something that I don’t think will ever be recreated, because he basically imagined this whole story, invented three or four languages, he just created a whole story,” Lauko said of his appreciation for Tolkien. “I know fantasy is not for everyone. “I think it’s one of the best movies and stories ever made.”

Given Lauko’s love of “The Lord of the Rings,” it was no surprise that her first tattoo was a quote from Gandalf, printed on her left arm: “The only thing we have to decide is what to do with the time we are given.”

“It’s like something I’m trying to live, day by day, you know? “We have time and it is up to us how we decide what to do with it,” Lauko said.

Lauko has since covered that quote as part of an extensive Lord of the Rings mural featuring scenes from all three films on his arm, but he plans to inscribe that Gandalf quote on his ribs, potentially as soon as this summer.

A painful task, but a quick solution: it only requires approximately an hour of work.

It’s a far cry from the portrait etched higher up on his sleeve.

In nod to another popular fantasy series, “Game of Thrones,” Lauko features a realistic portrait of Daenerys Targaryen, crowned around a swarm of dragons.

Lauko estimates that the artwork that occupies his left shoulder took 12 hours to complete. The longest session he spent in a chair was almost six hours.

“I just put on a movie and listen to music,” Lauko said of how he kills time during long tattoo sessions. “But five and a half [hours] It was my limit. … I always go there and say, ‘Okay, I’m excited.’ And after two hours I’m like, ‘What the hell? [expletive] Did I get in again?’”

For Lauko, “The Lord of the Rings” still has a clear advantage over “Game of Thrones,” especially in terms of its on-screen adaptations.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who was satisfied with the ending of ‘Game of Thrones,’” Lauko said. “I think they rushed it.”

Still, Lauko considers Daenerys’ portrait to be her best tattoo. She then she pauses.

“There is one that has more meaning than this, but I would prefer not to have it,” he points out.

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The marking on Lauko’s right bicep contrasts starkly with the intricate designs woven around his other forelimb.

It reads, “OB 4”.

It may be a simple script, but the weight of its meaning does not escape Lauko.

Ondrej Buchtela, like Lauko, dreamed of a career in the NHL.

Buchtela, a composed defender, was often stapled to Lauko’s hip during his time with the Piráti Chomutov organization in his native Czechia. They spent parts of five seasons together, with Buchtela watching from the blue line while Lauko wreaked havoc below the points.

Their professional hockey dreams ultimately led them down two different paths. Lauko, selected by Boston in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, traveled overseas to play junior hockey in Quebec.

Buchtela, who represented the Czech Republic at the 2017 World Youth Championship, remained in his home country and ultimately played 57 games for HC Benátky nad Jizerou during the 2019-20 season.

Buchtela’s last professional game was on March 7, 2020. Two months later, he was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoma, a rare form of heart cancer.

He died on July 26, 2020 at just 20 years old.

Just one day after his friend and teammate passed away, Lauko had Buchtela’s initials and jersey number engraved on his arm, an eternal commemoration forged after years spent together chasing the same dream.

“In a way you realize that we shouldn’t take everything for granted and that we should value every day, every moment of life,” Lauko said of Buchtela. “I just try to play for him, because I knew his dream was to play in the NHL too. So, for me, I’m here and I’m just trying to make him proud.”

Two years later, Lauko’s dream came true. He took the ice with the Bruins for the first time in the season opener on October 11, 2022. Twenty days later, he scored the goal of his career in the NHL.

The first record that thread finds is a prized possession, often displayed on the mantel of the family home.

Lauko had other plans.

“I think my dad and my mom…may be a little disappointed, but everything is going to be okay.” [Buchtela’s] mother”, Lauko he said after that first count. “Because I promised it to him and his family too, so it will be for him.”

During his return home during the offseason, Lauko kept his promise.

That puck may stay in the Czech Republic with Buchtela’s family, but Lauko carries his friend’s name with him every time he goes out on the ice.

“With this one, there’s no chance I’ll ever forget it,” Lauko said of his tattoo. “He’s still with me. “Had this little sticker I made a couple years ago in Providencehad his initials and [said]”Watch my back brother,” because he was a defenseman. So I will always have this to watch my back.”

Lauko’s ability to play every turn as if it were his last has made him a fan favorite.

But it is a mentality created after years of trials, triumphs and heartbreaks.

Lauko already has plenty of plans for the future, whether it’s his career with the Bruins or his next set of tattoos. But for now he tries to hold his ground.

All you need to decide is what to do with the time you are given.

And he’s making the most of every second.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 11: Jakub Lauko #94 of the Boston Bruins performs before the Bruins’ home opener against the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden on October 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)