'It Was A Brutal Hit': Bruins Coach And Fans React To Charlie McAvoy Taking A Flying Elbow To The Head

With Aleksander Barkov and Seth Jones out with injuries and several others nursing some sort of ailment these days, the Florida Panthers might be the most short-handed team in the NHL.

Apparently, they are trying to bring other teams down to their level.

In Florida's 5-4 shootout win against Boston on Wednesday, Panthers' forward Sandis Vilmanis caught Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy with a leaping elbow to the head that knocked McAvoy out of the game. With the start of the men's hockey tournament at the Olympics a week away, it will be interesting to see if McAvoy, who recovered from a broken jaw in December, will be healthy enough to play.

However, most hockey fans seemed more interested in how an illegal hit to the head only warranted a minor penalty. And even worse, how the Bruins managed to be short-handed on the play, following a retaliatory roughing penalty on Boston's Jonathan Aspirot and a unsportsmanlike conduct penalty charged to the bench.

"It was a brutal hit," Bruins coach Marco Sturm told reporters. "And everyone saw it. Obviously, I have the opportunity to look at the replay too and to come out with a four-on-four like that … I just didn't understand it. That's all.

"I'm here to protect my guys, especially Charlie. And if you target his head, which was clear to see, that just pisses me off. But anyway."

Others didn't necessarily see it that way.

On the TNT broadcast, one commentator seemed to pin the blame on the Bruins defenseman: "Mcavoy looks like he loses his balance and collides with the player's shoulder."

We will have to see whether the NHL's department of player safety decides to suspend or fine Vilanis for the hit. Even if they do, the bigger question is what this could mean for McAvoy's Olympic participation.

"This hit from Vilmanis is completely garbage, it’s late, it’s dirty, it’s everything the NHL wants to remove from the game," @paulieredsox wrote on X. "Leaves his feet and delivers an elbow right to McAvoy’s head, and it may have costed the Bruins, and Team USA."

The U.S. starts the tournament on Feb. 12 with a a game against Vilmanis' Latvia, which could provide McAvoy with a chance for retribution. That is, if he's healthy enough to play. 

Remember, it was on Nov. 15 when a slapshot struck McAvoy in the face, breaking his jaw and causing him to lose teeth. He had to undergo surgery and ended up missing nearly a month, calling it the "Most Frustrating Injury I Think I’ve Had." 

Luckily, McAvoy is still wearing a full face shield from that injury, which may have protected him from this latest hit to the hit. He ended up leaving the ice, but returned and played 22 minutes and five seconds.

"Likely concussion protocol for McAvoy," Dr. Harjas Grewal, who analyzed the hit on TV, theorized on X. "Unlikely but would want to check for any facial fracture. Concussion have variable recovery timelines but if all goes well, he could clear concussion protocol prior to 1st Olympic game."

The Team USA defenseman also had to miss most of last year's 4 Nations Face-Off after suffering a shoulder injury that became infected, causing him to also miss the rest of the 2024-25 season.

With the Bruins currently in a playoff spot, the team will obviously exercise caution with McAvoy's health. After all, he is one of the Bruins' most important players, with 39 points in 45 games this season.

"How was that not a major on Vilmanis??" @ryanwhitney6 wrote on X. "Elbow to the head. What am I missing? McAvoy playing the best hockey of his career leading into the Olympics what a joke."

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