Charlie McAvoy is heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, and for Team USA, that’s a big deal. For McAvoy, it’s a dream realized - one he’s had since he was a kid. But if things had gone just a little differently this week, he might’ve missed the chance altogether.
Let’s rewind a bit.
McAvoy’s last international appearance didn’t end the way anyone hoped. During the 4 Nations Faceoff last season, he took a hit in Team USA’s opener against Canada that knocked him out of the tournament - and, as it turned out, the rest of the NHL season.
That injury was a turning point for the Boston Bruins. Without their top defenseman, the team spiraled and ultimately finished tied with the Flyers for last in the Eastern Conference.
The silver lining? Boston landed a major draft prize in James Hagens, a player many thought wouldn’t fall that far.
Fast forward to this season, and McAvoy is healthy, motivated, and now officially bound for the Olympics. He’s even making the trip early to attend the opening ceremonies - something that’s not always possible for NHL players, depending on the league schedule.
“I had the opportunity because we end on the 4th,” McAvoy said. “So we talked to the powers that be.
Treating everything like a once-in-a-lifetime (thing). So I’ll be there.”
That’s the kind of perspective you get from someone who knows how quickly things can change. And just this week, it almost did.
In Wednesday night’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers, McAvoy took a nasty elbow to the head from Florida forward Sandis Vilmanis. It was a scary moment - McAvoy stayed down on the ice for a while before teammates helped him off. For a guy with a recent history of head injuries, it was a gut-check moment.
But in true hockey fashion, McAvoy returned for the second period and finished the game.
The next day, he appeared in an NBC interview about the Olympics - and the effects of that hit were still visible. His cheek was swollen, the same side where he took a puck to the face back in November against Montreal. It was a reminder of just how physical this game is, and how much McAvoy has battled to get back to this level.
As for the hit itself? Vilmanis received just a minor penalty.
That’s raised some eyebrows, especially considering the impact of the play. Vilmanis left the game with what was described as an “upper-body” injury, but he was back in the lineup the very next night against Tampa Bay.
McAvoy, meanwhile, is somehow cleared and ready to represent his country on the Olympic stage.
It’s a testament to his toughness - and maybe a bit of luck - that he’s still standing, let alone skating. Hockey players are wired differently, no question. But it also raises the ongoing conversation around player safety, and whether enough is being done to protect guys in vulnerable positions.
For now, though, the focus is on Milano Cortina. McAvoy gets to live out a lifelong dream, wearing the red, white, and blue on one of the biggest stages in sports. And after everything he’s been through - from last year’s injury to this week’s scare - that moment will mean even more.