McAvoy returns to Bruins, expects to make full recovery

BOSTON --Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was in fine spirits and feeling well Monday, one week after having a procedure to treat an abnormal heart rhythm.
McAvoy, who was diagnosed with a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) shortly after going through an episode with a rapid heartbeat during a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 26, skated on his own before practice and expects to make a full recovery.

"I have no reason to think that I would come back differently," McAvoy, 20, said during an afternoon press conference at Warrior Ice Arena. "I think maybe just time, some extra time to get back. But I'm still the same person, I'm one week removed and I feel good, so we'll get back out there and we'll get on the ice and see how things are going. And when the time is right, I'll get back out there."
McAvoy is scheduled for a follow-up appointment with the doctor later this week and then a plan to get him back in the lineup will be formulated. The Bruins' initial prediction was that McAvoy would be back in two weeks.
McAvoy said he had similar episodes with his heart in the past but the one late in the third period against the Oilers was his longest. After the game, he got together with Bruins internist Dr. David Finn and trainer Don Del Negro. Finn's diagnosis of an SVT was confirmed by tests from the cardiology experts, who assured McAvoy he would not be at risk if he kept playing and his condition was correctable.
"I think it was relief first off to find out it was not life-threatening and not dangerous to my overall health," McAvoy said. "That was my best takeaway from that, to realize that obviously I'm in there, kind of nervous, was this going to be something that's really bad, will I be able to play again or anything like that? So to find out that it was something that was not dangerous, not life-threatening, something I could still continue to play with, that was a good takeaway right away from the overall situation."

Selected by the Bruins with the No. 14 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, McAvoy has 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) in 45 games. He averages 22:49 of ice time, best among rookies and second-most on the Bruins behind defenseman Zdeno Chara (23:25). He hadn't missed a game until he sat out two following the procedure.
Between that Nov. 26 game and the procedure, McAvoy's play didn't give off any hint of what he was going through despite the possibility of being distracted by a serious health concern.
"The likelihood of it happening again was there and it's something that kind of sticks with you, but at the same time I was trying not to think about it too much, obviously, knowing that it wasn't dangerous, wasn't life-threatening," he said. "Were it to come back, I knew I would be fine. We kind of talked about a little strategy if it did come back, kind of remove myself from the game and allow myself time to get my heart back [to normal] and feel good. Luckily, we didn't get to that point."
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has been impressed by McAvoy's handling of his situation.
"That's probably been one of the most amazing things is how well he's handled knowing that this was on deck and going out there and playing at the level he was," Sweeney said. "It says a lot about him."