Charlie McAvoy Shakes Off Scary Hit, Shifts Focus to Olympic Stage
When Charlie McAvoy took a flying elbow to the face from Florida’s Sandis Vilmanis last Wednesday, it looked bad-real bad. The Bruins’ top defenseman was down on the ice for a few minutes, clearly shaken, and had to be helped off. In that moment, it felt like Boston might be without its defensive anchor for a while, and with the Olympics around the corner, his status for Team USA was suddenly in question.
But McAvoy? He’s built different.
Not only did he return to start the second period, he finished the game-an eventual 5-4 shootout loss to the Panthers-and then immediately hopped a flight to Milan with teammate Jeremy Swayman to join Team USA in time for Friday night’s Olympic opening ceremonies. That’s the kind of resilience and commitment that’s made McAvoy one of the NHL’s most respected blueliners.
Now, the next chapter unfolds: McAvoy and Team USA open their Olympic campaign on Wednesday against Latvia. And yes, that’s the same Latvia featuring Vilmanis-the guy who just elbowed McAvoy in the face.
But if you're expecting fireworks or payback on Olympic ice, don’t hold your breath.
McAvoy isn’t wired that way. Speaking to TSN’s Mark Masters after arriving in Milan, McAvoy acknowledged the incident and didn’t hide his feelings: “I just felt strongly about what happened,” he said.
That’s as much as you’ll get from him publicly. Behind the scenes?
Sure, he’s probably still fuming. But retaliation?
That’s not likely to come in an Olympic setting, where the stakes are higher and the mission is clear: bring home gold.
McAvoy knows what’s in front of him. He’s not about to jeopardize Team USA’s chances over a hit from a bottom-six forward. There’s a time and place for that kind of payback-and Milan in February isn’t it.
As for Vilmanis, Florida made a curious move after the hit. He didn’t return to the game against Boston, listed with the ever-ambiguous “lower-body injury.”
Yet somehow, he was back in the lineup the very next night against Tampa Bay. Coincidence?
Maybe. Convenient?
Absolutely.
The Bruins and Panthers are set to meet again in April in Sunrise. That one’s already circled on the calendar. Don’t be surprised if tensions simmer a bit more in that rematch-especially if McAvoy’s memory proves as sharp as his on-ice instincts.
But for now, the focus is on Olympic gold. McAvoy’s got bigger goals than settling scores. He’s wearing red, white, and blue, and his game speaks louder than anything else.