Charlie McAvoy Talks Six-Game Suspension, Bruins Captaincy

The Boston Bruins took to the practice rink at Warrior Ice Arena on Thursday morning for one last captains’ practice before they report back in a week for training camp.

Charlie McAvoy was among those present at captains’ practice, but a six-game suspension is going to keep him out of the lineup from the start of the regular season until October 13. With 91 seconds remaining in the Bruins’ 2025-26 season, Buffalo’s Zach Benson took McAvoy down by way of a slewfoot.

McAvoy snapped and whacked Benson across the chest with his stick.

“I thought that was extremely dangerous,” McAvoy said about Benson’s slewfoot. “When you go into the boards at full speed, that, in my mind, is one of the most dangerous and vulnerable situations you could be in.

Every single year, there’s case after case of guys leaving the ice on stretchers because of stuff like that.”

“In my mind, in that situation, and where we were, I felt like that was a deliberate play that could have resulted in serious injuries. And that was why I kind of snapped.

If I didn’t have a broken hand, maybe I would have fought him, but I did, and it was just, in that mind, I lost, you know, lost my wits to a certain degree, and I have regrets about that, certainly.”

The NHL Department of Player Safety handed McAvoy a six-game suspension for slashing 11 days later, just a day after his in-person hearing.

“I respect the opportunity to have gone there and tried to state my case and try and speak my truth on it. Maybe try and get them to understand, you know, why I maybe did what I did or felt what I felt,” McAvoy said.

“The reality of the situation is you’re just at the mercy of whatever they decide. Just is what it is.

You’re going against the league and a group of people. It’s a very difficult process.

It’s one that, you know, it’s not really for the player to come out on the other side and have any luck in it.”

“Did it change a thing? Was it worth the time?

I don’t know. I got closure out of it, so I guess I respect that.”

There were sleepless nights throughout the wait for his in-person hearing, which, combined with his broken hand, weighed on the Bruins’ star defenseman.

“I just thought about it and thought about it. Wrote things down, had things prepared.

I wanted to go there and try and put my best foot forward, try and explain myself,” McAvoy said. “I know, obviously, I did something wrong that I shouldn’t have done.

But the gravity of the penalty and stuff was where I was really hoping I’d be able to kind of explain myself.”

Also Read:What Else Warrants a Six-Game Suspension Under George Parros?

McAvoy Doesn’t Expect ‘Any Friction’ if Not Named Captain

The Bruins do not have a captain with less than a week to go until the start of training camp.

On Wednesday, Marco Sturm said the Bruins are “still in the process” of naming a captain, while Cam Neely previously stated that they don’t “necessarily need to have a guy unless there is that one guy that really stands out.”

David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy are the two longest-tenured Bruins, entering their 13th and 10th seasons, respectively. They are the two leading candidates to be the next captain, but McAvoy pointed to what worked and who taught them what they know.

“Yeah, I mean, I thought we had a great thing [last year],” McAvoy said. “Myself and Dave, we lean on each other a lot.

We’ve both been here a long time. We’ve both been able to learn from the same group of guys, the same people that are already up in the rafters; one of them, and the other guy is going [this year].

So we’re very lucky to have had those people teach us the ways and how we can try and keep the culture, even though the names are changing, generations are changing.”

If Pastrnak is the one ultimately wearing the ‘C,’ McAvoy does not expect that to change anything between the two.

“Dave’s gonna be what I think is a Hall of Famer. I think he’ll be retired here.

He’s done so much, like who he is as a person, as a teammate, and what he means to this organization and team. I love him to death, and he would be extremely deserving,” McAvoy said.

“Whatever happens, it’s out of my hands. But I don’t think there would be any friction.”

Also Read:Sturm: ‘We’re Still in the Process’ to Name Next Bruins Captain

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