When Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was hit last Wednesday night by Sandis Vilmanis' flying elbow in the first period of a 5-4 Florida Panthers shootout win, it didn't look good. Boston's top defenseman was down on the ice for a couple of minutes before being helped off the ice.
It looked like McAvoy was going to be out of the game, and his status for the Olympics was going to be in doubt. However, McAvoy began the second period and finished out the game. Shortly after the game, he boarded a flight with teammate Jeremy Swayman for the Olympics to be there for Friday night's opening ceremonies. McAvoy and Team USA's first game will be on Wednesday against Latvia, which just so happens to have Vilmanis on it. Will there be some revenge dished out by McAvoy?
Charlie McAvoy likely won't seek revenge for the hit in the Olympics
After he landed in Milan, McAvoy posted a social media post on Friday night of a video of the hit and the aftermath of his swollen face. There was no discipline handed out by the NHL, but McAvoy spoke to Mark Masters of TSN at the Olympics about playing Latvia and Vilmanis.
“I just felt strongly about what happened,” McAvoy said.
Will that mean there is going to be retaliation during the Olympics on Wednesday? Highly unlikely. That may have to wait until April when the Bruins and Panther smeet again in Sunrise. McAvoy has bigger things to accomplish at the Olympics than getting retaliation on a bottom-six forward who spends his time head-hunting in the NHL. It fits into the Panthers' style.
Florida already took the cheap way out by holding Vilmanis out of the lineup with the dreaded "lower-body'' injury for the rest of the game against the Bruins. Somehow, he was magically healed to play the next night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the two teams' next meeting in April will be worth tuning into, of course, unless Vilmanis gets another "upper-body" injury before the game.