When Team USA takes on Team Canada in the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off Championship on Thursday night in Boston, they'll be without one of their top defenders in Charlie McAvoy.
McAvoy—who helped set the tone in the States’ first matchup vs. Canada on Saturday with several hits on Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby—remains in the hospital due to an infection that stemmed from an upper-body injury. The Bruins announced on Tuesday that he will not play in the tournament final.
Following up on Boston's statement, one NHL insider believes that team isn't thrilled with the way McAvoy's injury was handled by Team USA:
"If you read their statement today, they make it very clear that they are unhappy with how this all went down," said HNIC's Elliotte Friedman during a segment with Sportsnet on Wednesday. "That they don't feel that their player was given the proper treatment. It seems now that McAvoy was originally injured in the opener against Finland... and it sounds like he played Saturday, it looks like here, with much more severe an injury than he was initially led to believe... which makes his performance all that more impressive."
“The Bruins were extremely unhappy with the way this was handled and they felt McAvoy didn’t get the proper care.”@FriedgeHNIC discusses Team USA’s mistreatment of Charlie McAvoy’s injury with @RealKyper & @jtbourne.#4Nations #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/KbYCXXTHbA
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) February 19, 2025
"When it was the Bruins and not Team USA that announced that McAvoy was out," Friedman continued. "There were people saying, 'How come the Bruins—whose GM [Don Sweeney] is the GM of Team Canada—are announcing that Charlie McAvoy wouldn't play?' And then it became pretty clear, it's because the Bruins were extremely unhappy with the way this had been handled and that they felt that in this particular case, McAvoy didn't get the proper care."
Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub—the Bruins' flagship radio station in Boston—went on to confirm Friedman's report while adding that Team USA's medical team is the same as the Minnesota Wild's, and the Bruins, "were not happy/in agreement with the medicals they got from them on Pat Maroon post-trade last year."
This is true. Also worth noting: Team USA’s medical team is the same medical team from the Wild. The Bruins were not happy/in agreement with the medicals they got from them on Pat Maroon post-trade last year. https://t.co/eizuOYBh1Z
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) February 20, 2025
In a follow-up statement on Wednesday, the Bruins announced that McAvoy, "Underwent an irrigation and debridement procedure at Massachusetts General Hospital on February 18. He remains in the hospital, where he is being treated with IV antibiotics, and his condition is improving.”
Puck drop for the 4 Nations Face-Off final between Team USA and Team Canada is set for 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday from Boston's TD Garden. The contest will air on ESPN and Sportsnet.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Bruins 'Extremely Unhappy' With Team USA's Injury Treatment of Charlie McAvoy.
