Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy says 4 Nations Face-Off injury ‘cost me my sanity’
As the Boston Bruins cleaned out their lockers Thursday following the conclusion of the 2024-25 regular season, veteran defenseman Charlie McAvoy reflected on his disappointing campaign, pinpointing the 4 Nations Face-Off as the time when his year took a turndown.
McAvoy recalled his experience at the inaugural tournament, one where he sustained a shoulder injury in the second game that ultimately sidelined him for the balance of the event plus the Bruins’ remaining 25 games.
“Mentally, emotionally, physically, I’ve gone through so much because of that damn experience,” McAvoy told reporters. “It cost me my season. It cost me my sanity, in a lot of ways. None of this has been easy and I get emotional when I talk about it. It was an incredible experience and I waited my whole life to be a part of something like that, but the way that it ended, the aftermath of it, and what I had to go through, it cost me a lot more than I was willing to give, and that’s unfortunate. It’s over now and now I can finally put it to bed. After we talk about it, I don’t want to talk about it ever again, honestly, because it cost me a lot.
“I’m not angry at any one individual. I’m angry at what happened. I’m sad about what happened. There’s a little bit of the ‘Why me?’, as I’m sure anyone would ask with what happened. It’s a lot of different emotions. I wouldn’t say it’s just angry … I spent a lot of time emotionally just sitting with it because that was the reality of it. I’m sitting at home, I can’t play and can’t help my team. It felt like it was a whole other season. I don’t even remember anything before [the 4 Nations Face-Off], honestly, because I only remember what the last two months have felt like, and it just hasn’t been fun.”
In all, McAvoy closes out the season where through 50 appearances he recorded seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points while averaging nearly 24 minutes a game in ice time. Per PuckPedia, the 27-year-old native of Long Beach, N.Y., remains under contract for the next four seasons at a $9.5-million annual average value.