THE FUTURE STARTS RIGHT NOW
McAvoy to make Bruins debut tonight
Bobby Orr. Ray Bourque. Patrice Bergeron. Zach Hamill? All were considered hockey phenoms.
Not all hockey phenoms become phenomenal pro hockey players.
Of all the labels Bruins wunderkind defenseman Charlie McAvoy may earn in his NHL career — phenom is the most dangerous.
It is a term loaded with peril and promise.
Tonight, 19-year-old McAvoy likely will make his NHL debut paired alongside 40-year-old Zdeno Chara. This comes with the pressure of the Bruins’ first playoff game since 2014 and on the road at Ottawa.
The headlines write themselves: “Big Z, Little C team up for Playoff B’s.”
Where else would McAvoy want to be besides in Ottawa tonight? These are heady times for a kid who was still in college two weeks ago. Here’s hoping McAvoy doesn’t come down with the Red Sox Flu or injure his back while walking down a flight of stairs before the Masters.
McAvoy cannot legally drink alcohol until Dec. 21, 2018. Gov. Baker can give him a pardon if he is offered champagne from the Stanley Cup this year or next.
McAvoy has been immersed in the cauldron of underage, big-time hockey. He was a hockey hero in Team USA’s World Junior Championship victory over the Evil Empire (aka Canada) in January — although he and the Terriers could not get past Harvard in the 2017 Beanpot final a month later.
Less than 24 hours after the Bruins and McAvoy signed a three-year, entrylevel deal, he was skating and practicing yesterday alongside players he admired as a boy.
“It was kind of shocking at first when you’re out there moving the puck with a guy like (Chara). He is just such an amazing player and the leader of this team. He was really good to me, and we talked a lot on the ice. Kind of just little lessons here and there,” McAvoy said (via NESN’s Zack Cox).
“Being on the ice with so many guys that I’ve looked up to my whole life, it’s just very special.”
What better teacher on defense for this 19-year-old Bruins rookie than a teammate whose 6-foot-7 frame has stood alone at that position for 11 seasons, won a Norris Trophy and hoisted a Stanley Cup? Chara played his first NHL game 32 days before McAvoy was born. He is old enough to be McAvoy’s father, even as he plays the role of “Big Brother” on the ice.
McAvoy’s arrival in Boston was rushed since the Bruins lost defenseman Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo to injuries for at least Game 1.
Some hockey insiders and experts bemoaned the fact that the Bruins lost a year of service time when it comes to free agency because McAvoy was brought in for this playoff run. Wrong. The consistency of State Run Media across all four Boston sports teams is commendable when it comes to crying over the potential of ownership having to actually pay players in the future. It must be something in the press box bottled water.
McAvoy’s presence on the Bruins playoff roster — he is one of 14 players without playoff experience — adds another level of intrigue to what will likely be a short playoff run. There is no credible talk about the Bruins playing June hockey this time, but McAvoy and the rest of these Baby Bruins will offer at least a glimpse of promise for years to come.
Unless they all become Zach Hamills.