Bruins' Defender Looking for Olympic Redemption After 4 Nations

Charlie McAvoy has waited his entire life for this moment. After a devastating shoulder injury at the 4 Nations Face-Off last February ended his season and nearly broke his spirit, the Boston Bruins defenseman gets his second chance at international glory when Team USA opens Olympic play against Latvia this week.

The stakes could not be higher for the 28-year-old alternate captain. McAvoy suffered an upper-body injury during Team USA's round-robin game against Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and what should have been a minor setback turned into a nightmare when the injury became infected after a pain-killing injection.

McAvoy did not return to the Bruins lineup for the remainder of the season. In April, he opened up about the emotional toll of missing the 4 Nations championship game and watching from a hospital bed while his teammates lost to Canada in overtime.

"[4 Nations] cost me my season. It cost me my sanity, in a lot of ways," McAvoy said. "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."

The injury was later revealed to be a Grade 5 AC joint separation in his shoulder. McAvoy has logged heavy minutes throughout his career and has topped 70 games just twice in nine seasons with Boston.

Important Role for USA in Milano Cortina

Now healthy, McAvoy is slated to play an important role for Team USA coach Mike Sullivan, who also happens to be his father-in-law. The 28-year-old has posted solid offensive numbers this season with four goals and 35 assists for 39 points in 45 games, though his defensive metrics have been inconsistent.

The Bruins sit 32-20-5 and fifth in the Atlantic Division, in the midst of an uncertain retool. For McAvoy, the Olympics represent a chance at redemption and validation after a career marked by heartbreaking near-misses, including a Game 7 Stanley Cup Final loss to St. Louis in 2019 and Boston's catastrophic first-round collapse in 2023 despite posting a record 135 points.

With only Jaccob Slavin among the USA's defensemen over 30, McAvoy will be in tough to remain a top-eight American defender by the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps. After playing just 45 games this season following last year's injury nightmare, Milano Cortina 2026 may be his best shot at Olympic glory.

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