Bruins Defenseman Opens Up About Scary 4 Nations injury

For most of the hockey world, February's 4 Nations Face-Off was one of the most exciting events in the sport's recent history if not the most exciting.

For Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, though, it was an incredibly scary time.

McAvoy, who served as an alternate captain for the United States at the tournament, suffered a Grade 5 AC joint separation in his right shoulder during his team's opener against Finland on Feb. 13. Such an injury normally takes three months to recover from, but the 27-year-old instead took a painkilling shot and was back on the ice for the United States' game against Canada on. Feb. 15.

After that, though, his condition took a drastic turn for the worse. He was in so much pain that he was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with a staph infection and administered intensive treatment. He left the hospital with a sling on his right arm and a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC), and only finished his antibiotics last week.

McAvoy of course missed the final two games of the tournament, but even more importantly, the final 25 games of the Bruins' season.

“It cost me my season. It cost me a lot,” McAvoy told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. “I spent a lot of time emotionally just sitting with it. Because that was the reality of it. I’m sitting at home with a PICC line and this and that, I can’t play and I can’t help my team. It felt like it was a whole other season."

“I don’t even remember anything before that, honestly. Because I only remember what the last two months have felt like. And it just hasn’t been fun.”

At the time, McAvoy was determined to play against Canada. He and the United States previously defeated Canada at the Bell Centre in the final of the 2017 World Juniors, so the same matchup eight years later was "a dream come true."

Unfortunately, the horrible aftermath leaves a stain on what should've been a storybook moment.

“Every part of that 4 Nations was a dream come true. And there’s a reason why I played in that game,” McAvoy said. “Because I’m not missing this game I’ve dreamt of my whole life. It’s the aftermath of that. It cost me my year. And there’s a lot of … I don’t want to say regret, but just an acceptance of what happened. And it sucks. I’m still trying to come to grips with it. But I wouldn’t trade it.”

The Bruins are a drastically different team than when McAvoy last played, with Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and more leaving at the trade deadline. Once he returns, McAvoy, who could very well end up being the team's next captain, will have a huge role in righting the ship.

“What an opportunity, what an exciting challenge for us to be the people that will get it back to where it needs to be," McAvoy said. "That’s how I’m sitting here. We’re all looking at it the same way. It’s not going to be easy. But it can be done.”