While Team USA will face Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off final without defenseman Charlie McAvoy on Thursday, it’s his NHL team, the Boston Bruins, that are feeling the biggest impact of his injury.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins are “extremely unhappy” with how Team USA’s medical staff managed McAvoy’s condition during the tournament.
The defenseman initially suffered an injury against Finland but was cleared to play against Canada, where his shoulder issue seemingly worsened, ultimately leading to an infection that required hospitalization.
“The Bruins were extremely unhappy with the way this has been handled, and they felt that in this particular case, McAvoy didn’t get the proper care,” Friedman said.
Although Team USA was aware of McAvoy’s injury from the game against Finland, both the team and the player attempted to push through it, ultimately worsening the condition.
“Fom what I understand, on Monday he was in a bit more pain, and was admitted to the hospital, and they realized the injury was more severe than believed or initially diagnosed,” Friedman said. “And number two, there was an infection there that had to be operated on and removed.
“I don’t know if he was given a needle or shot or something like that, and it got infected (between the moment when he was injured and when he was admitted to the hospital), but it was something along these lines.”
It was the Bruins, not Team USA, who publicly revealed McAvoy’s condition on Wednesday, stating that he had “an infection in his right shoulder, as well as a significant injury to his AC joint.” The team confirmed that McAvoy remains hospitalized, receiving IV antibiotics, with his condition “improving.” When contacted by The Athletic, Team USA general manager Bill Guerin declined to comment further, only expressing confidence in the team’s medical staff.
“Guerin, who is also the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Minnesota Wild, wouldn’t comment other than to say he had the utmost confidence in the United States’ medical team,” The Athletic reported on Wednesday. According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, McAvoy’s procedure will keep him “sidelined on a week-to-week basis until the area can heal.”
