McAvoy Starts Skating with Bruins, ‘Great to be Around the Guys’

BOSTON –– Charlie McAvoy stood at his stall and, somehow, still had a smile on his face.

The Boston Bruins defenseman started skating with the team in a non-contact jersey this week after taking a slapshot to the jaw on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens. It has been a lift for the B’s to see their alternate captain return to the rink.

“It’s great to be around the guys and just to be back in the rhythm a little bit,” McAvoy said. “I take a lot of positivity from this group and so many great guys here that are encouraging me on this way back.”

Head coach Marco Sturm said that McAvoy got facial surgery and is now working back to game shape. McAvoy has committed himself to the process, no matter how grueling it has been.​

“I knew we were in trouble there,” McAvoy said of his initial reaction to the shot. “Just a linear fracture right here, all the way down. Some displacement and lost a lot of teeth on the bottom. But I’ll save you the visual, just take my word for it.”

McAvoy has been on an all-liquid diet since the injury – it is a mandatory six weeks of no solid food from “the day of repair,” he said. McAvoy said he lost around 20 pounds in the first week and a half.

​“Soups are good, soups have been my go-to. Early on, it was a lot of ice cream and milkshakes…It is tough. I tried to give it a go. If you’re blending up solid food, it is not enjoyable,” McAvoy said. “I tried chicken and vegetables, and that was just a nonstarter. It is terrible. So, soups have really been my go-to, and smoothies to try to get protein. Because food blended up, it is not meant to be eaten that way.”

The Bruins are taking a cautious approach with McAvoy, especially as he tries to put weight on. While Sturm “can’t wait” to eventually have McAvoy back in the lineup, he knows patience is key.

“He is one of the best defensemen in the league, I think, and to see him hurt like that, it hurt all of us,” Sturm said. “We have a good staff here who is trying to do their best on their behalf to get everything he needs – all the fluids and carbs to get him back on track…We just want to make sure he is 100% mentally, physically, his weight has to be at the right spot.”

The mental side to recovery has been just as important as the physical aspect. McAvoy’s season ended after 50 games last year due to an upper-body injury; he has learned how to battle through adversity, and gave credit to those close to him for helping him push through.

“It is a lot. My family. The guys, the support of the staff and everybody from the top down is in our corner and in my corner. That just means the world to me,” McAvoy said. “It allows me to focus on the things I need to focus on, and know there is so much love and support for us in this building. You can’t describe it – it just means the world to us.”

There is no timeline for when McAvoy will officially return to game action, Sturm said, but this week’s skates have been a positive moment for both him and the Bruins as a whole.

“There are steps that we need to cross. Obviously, getting weight on, getting energy, feeling good is the biggest thing. You don’t want to be out there and feeling like you’re going to pass out. There’s that, there’s getting cleared by the doctor. There’s X-rays, there are certain checkmarks that we have to get by before we can get back in a game,” McAvoy said.

“But we are doing everything we can to get back fast. I’m healing really good, so hopefully not too much longer.”