I think any casual fan out there knows that the top defenseman for the Boston Bruins is Zdeno Chara. He’s enormous, extremely talented, and has a fun Czech name that begins with a Z. Does anyone know who his top line partner on the blue line is? Probably not, because he is playing his first career regular season NHL games in doing so. Or maybe you did guess, because his name in the title of this post.
McAvoy ended his college career in March of this year to join the Bruins AHL affiliate in Providence, where he played 4 games. He then played with the Bruins for their playoff run, and that deep resume, probably in addition to his talent, or whatever, earned the top two spot in the B’s defensive rotation. It would be tough to say that McAvoy’s resume isn’t good, because essentially, he doesn’t have a resume.
McAvoy is all of 19 years old, and averages more minutes per game than he has years on this earth, both of which are incredible facts. What’s even more incredible, is that McAvoy is doing this on defense. Typically when you see a youngster in the NHL, it is a forward with a surfeit of speed and skating ability, not a guy of whom you would say encapsulates a boundless sense of responsibility.
When I was 19 years old, I was mixing Southern Comfort and Dr. Pepper and doing a whole lot of public urination. Of course, I spent 4 years in college, as opposed to the month and half McAvoy did. Who knows where he would be peeing if he stayed at BU.
The Bruins have got a goal and 7 assists and a -3 rating out of McAvoy so far this season, but this is a situation that bears watching. Eiither McAvoy is some sort of wunderkind, or the Boston Bruins are going to be punished for giving a 19 year old even the slightest hint of responsibility.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
