Charlie McAvoy ahead of schedule, dons regular jersey at Bruins practice for first time since surgery
BOSTON -- The Bruins are getting closer to full strength. That should be a terrifying proposition for the rest of the NHL, considering Boston is off to its hottest start in team history.
Charlie McAvoy took the ice at Warrior Ice Arena for Monday's practice in a normal practice jersey for the first time since undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer. He was not in the red no-contact sweater that he had been wearing up to this point.
No one is going to go out and lay a lick on him just yet, but McAvoy said it felt great to be back on the ice in a normal hockey setting.
"When you go from non-contact to contact, practices are very respectful and no one is hitting or bumping very much," he explained after the session. "To be in there, to do drills that sometimes have that incidental contact and to just be playing hockey and have people flying around me, it's just good. I know it's all elementary, but for me it has been a while of just deking cones and pylons. To feel like you can see light at the end of the tunnel, it's exciting."
McAvoy said that he still doesn't have a definitive return date. But being cleared for contact is a major step in his comeback, and head coach Jim Montgomery said that McAvoy was ahead of schedule, hinting that a return could come before Dec. 1.
The Bruins haven't missed their top defenseman too much to start the season, allowing just 21 goals over the team's first nine games, tied for the fewest allowed in the NHL.
"It removes a little bit of pressure," McAvoy said of Boston's hot start. "You try not to feel that anyways because your timeline is your timeline. But to see the guys playing so well, it allows you to kind of put your head on the pillow and realize we're going to be fine, we're in a good spot."
McAvoy will accompany the team on its three-game road trip this week, with games in Pittsburgh, New York, and Toronto. He can't wait to feel like part of the team once again.
"Let's hit the road," he said. "I'm excited. I won't be playing on the trip, but just being out there and getting practices and pre-game skates. We're at the point where it's more important to be out on the ice with the guys instead of here by myself."
Soon enough, he'll be out there in game action. McAvoy was slated to return in late-November/early-December, but with Monday's news, he could be back on the blue line sooner rather than later.