Sandis Vilmanis Addresses Controversial Hit on Charlie McAvoy: “Hockey Happens So Fast”
Last Wednesday night in South Florida, things got heated between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins - and not just on the scoreboard. The moment that turned heads across the NHL came when Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis delivered a high hit to Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, catching him in the head with an elbow that left McAvoy down on the ice for several tense minutes.
The hit sparked immediate outrage from the Bruins bench and from fans across the league. Many expected a call from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety - maybe even a suspension. But the league opted not to issue any supplemental discipline, a decision that left Bruins fans fuming and Panthers fans, predictably, defending their guy.
McAvoy, to his credit, returned to the game to start the second period and finished it out, showing the kind of toughness that’s become synonymous with his game. He’s now preparing to represent Team USA at the Olympics, but the incident hasn’t faded from memory - especially with Vilmanis now speaking publicly about the play.
Vilmanis Speaks Out: “It Was a Reaction”
After a training match for Team Latvia against Switzerland at the Olympics, Vilmanis addressed the hit and the controversy surrounding it. His comments shed some light on what happened from his perspective - and they’re not exactly an admission of guilt.
“Everyone says I was really looking and hunting,” Vilmanis said. “Hockey happens so fast.
Whoever came up to me would have done the exact same thing. I didn’t raise my elbow specifically - he dodged, I tried to give it to him, it was a reaction.”
According to Vilmanis, the play wasn’t as malicious as it may have looked in slow motion. He pointed to the speed of the game and McAvoy’s movement as factors in the collision.
“It happened the way it happened,” he added. “I didn’t get any disqualifications afterwards.
People watch everything, even multiple times. It wasn’t as crazy as the video makes it look.”
One particularly eyebrow-raising comment came when Vilmanis addressed McAvoy’s injury. “Of course, his jaw was already broken - any touch would swell up there,” he said, referencing the fact that McAvoy was reportedly playing through a pre-existing jaw issue.
The Fallout on the Ice
On the ice, the play resulted in a two-minute minor for Vilmanis for an illegal check to the head. Bruins defenseman Jonathan Aspirot was also penalized for roughing after going after Vilmanis in response, and Boston’s bench picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call - a sequence that somehow landed Florida on the power play.
Interestingly, while McAvoy returned to the game, Vilmanis did not. He explained that after taking a hit to the head himself later in the game, he began feeling dizzy and was held out by Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, despite being medically cleared to return.
“I left, sat down,” Vilmanis recalled. “My head hurt, I felt dizzy.
I thanked [the staff], and then they told me to go to the locker room to get checked. We did, everything was fine, I could go back to play.
But the coach came over and said: that’s it, you’ve had enough. That’s how it happened.
That’s why I didn’t go back.”
Looking Ahead: “We’ll See What Happens”
While the NHL may have moved on from the incident - at least in terms of disciplinary action - the players haven’t forgotten. Vilmanis acknowledged that if there’s going to be payback, it might not come from McAvoy himself.
“He won’t come himself, he had a broken jaw, any touch will hurt,” Vilmanis said. “He has teammates in the NHL who will be able to take revenge. I’ll play the way I always play, and then we’ll see what happens.”
That last line carries a certain edge. Vilmanis is clearly aware that the incident could have a lingering effect, especially with one more regular-season meeting between the Panthers and Bruins scheduled for April 2 in Florida. If there’s going to be a response, that might be the time.
For now, both players have shifted focus to the Olympics, but the NHL calendar has a way of circling dates like this in permanent marker. Don’t be surprised if the intensity ramps up when these two teams meet again - and don’t be surprised if the hit, and the fallout, are still fresh in everyone’s mind.