Boston Bruins' defenseman Charlie McAvoy admits he "made a mistake" when delivering an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers' blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson on Oct. 30 but felt the subsequent four-game suspension it earned was inconsistent with the error.
It was during an overtime win against the Panthers that McAvoy received a match penalty nearly 10 minutes into the third period for his check primarily impacting Ekman-Larsson's head. The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended McAvoy the following day for what they saw as avoidable contact.
McAvoy addressed the suspension -- and his failed appeal -- for the first time Thursday, responding to both the play itself and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman's decision not to reduce the ban from four to three games.
"The way we understood it and the way that it was explained to us by [the head of NHL player safety] George [Parros] was that a rule 48 suspension [for an illegal check to the head] ... those start at two games," McAvoy explained. "And then you have two factors after that -- injury and history. There's no injury on the play and I have a history [of being suspended] so, two plus one is three, it's not four. But I guess there's not really anything we can do about it."
The 25-year-old was previously suspended one game in 2019 for a similar hit to the head of Columbus Blue Jackets' forward Josh Anderson. Still, McAvoy felt he had a "good chance" appealing the four-game ruling this time. Bettman didn't agree with McAvoy's assessment and ultimately upheld Parros' original decision in Wednesday's ruling, writing at the time, "Simply put, Mr. McAvoy could have, and should have, avoided making this illegal hit, but did not."
McAvoy saw Bettman was "very receptive" to his side of the argument, which included offering comparisons where the same illegal check was made that also caused injury -- his to Ekman-Larsson did not -- and those players were given lesser punishments.
In the end, McAvoy felt negative optics involved for the league impacted not overturning the department's decision.
"It sort of seemed like a new standard to us that they're trying to get across," he said. "While 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. They have to acknowledge that Player Safety made a mistake if they're ever going to [grant an appeal] and that's their team. So, it's certainly a difficult position. I'm not sure if it's, I don't want to say winnable, but it sort of seemed like that in a way."
This is the second time this season an appeal has been brought before Bettman. Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson previously tried to reduce his four-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Blue Jackets' forward Patrik Laine. Bettman upheld that ban, too.
Now that McAvoy has exhausted all options, he's focused on simply returning to the ice. Boston's top blueliner said it was important he made amends with Ekman-Larsson and was relieved to know he wasn't hurt by the collision. McAvoy said the suspension has "certainly [given me] something to think about" in regard to changing his game and avoiding missed time in the future. But he also knows what's worked well for him up until this point, too.
"I think I've established myself as someone who can play a physical style and do it clean," he said. "I made a mistake and ... I asked for forgiveness and I was forgiven when I spoke to Oliver. I made a mistake. I play the game hard but I play it respectful, and this definitely felt like it's sort of a sight to my character, but then again, it was me that made the hit."