Charlie McAvoy played for an elite college program at Boston University. He also played on the international stage and made his NHL debut in the playoffs at age 19. To say the young defenseman already had dealt with an inordinate amount of pressure in his hockey career would be an understatement.
That said, there’s nothing quite like the Stanley Cup Final, and the Boston Bruins’ long, albeit unsuccessful, quest for championship glory last season taught McAvoy a few lessons.
The Athletic’s Joe McDonald asked the Bruins defenseman in a recent interview how Boston’s deep playoff run during the 2018-19 campaign helped in his development. Here’s what McAvoy said:
It goes a long way. It creates some perspective that maybe you wouldn’t have unless you made it to that point. It calms the nerves. At the end of the day, with or without it, it’s still the same game and nobody gives you a pat on the back for making it that far. Every night you’re going to get everybody’s best, so that comes with being a team that made it that far last year. Every game is a measuring stick for every team that comes in. We’ve just got to be ready to go and put your best foot forward.
McAvoy, now in his third full NHL season, turns 22 on Saturday. He just signed a three-year contract over the offseason that carries an annual salary-cap hit of $4.9 million. Life seemingly is good for the 2016 first-round pick, who already is one of the NHL’s brightest up-and-coming stars, but he’s clearly not taking anything for granted as he continues down a path that could result in him becoming the face of the Bruins before long.
