Need to Know: Bruins vs. Islanders

McAvoy Appeals Denied, Suspended for 4 Games

McAvoy’s appeal to reduce his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Florida’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been denied by the National Hockey League. This means that Boston’s alternate captain will only be eligible to return to the lineup on Saturday night in Montreal.

Expressing disappointment, McAvoy acknowledged his mistake and took responsibility for his actions. Despite the attempt to get the suspension reduced, he was unsuccessful.

McAvoy stated, “I understand the need for discipline there…I made a mistake on the play. But really, the way that we understood it…sort of the way that it was explained to us by George [Parros] and Player Safety was that this is a Rule 48 suspension.”

He continued, “Head contact, those start at two games and then you have two factors after that, so that’s injury and history. There’s no injury on the play and I have a history, so two plus one is three. It’s not four. But I guess there’s not really anything you can do about it.”

Although disappointed by the ruling, McAvoy expressed gratitude towards commissioner Gary Bettman for taking the time to hear his argument.

McAvoy stated, “I thought I had a good chance…they seemed very receptive to what we had and our arguments, which I felt really good about. I thought we made some really good points.”

He added, “At the end of the day…I’m grateful for them taking the time to listen to me and give me a chance at that. I think it’s certainly a difficult position for them to be put in.”

Looking towards the future, McAvoy is focused on continuing to play his hard and physical style while being mindful of avoiding any further discipline.

“I just want to get back on the ice and play hockey, you know?” said McAvoy. “But it’s certainly something to think about. I’ve played a lot of games…almost 400 games since my first suspension. I feel like I play the game hard, but I play it respectfully.”