Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy has returned to practice about three weeks after being hit in the face by a puck and said he knew he was ‘in trouble’ as soon as he was struck.
McAvoy, who has been named to the U.S. Olympic team, took a slap shot off the face in a Nov. 15 game against the Montreal Canadiens. He spelled out the damage on Friday, saying he had a linear fracture in his jaw, some displacement and lost ‘a lot of teeth’ on the bottom.
He said the toughest part after surgery is being unable to eat solid food and he lost close to 20 pounds in the first week and a half, which has affected his energy during practice. He’s wearing a full shield and a no-contact jersey.
McAvoy said he tried throwing chicken and vegetables in a blender to eat that way but quickly balked.
‘It’s terrible, so soups have really been my go-to and smoothies to try and get some protein,’ he said, adding that also has eaten ice cream and milkshakes.
McAvoy had no timeline for his return, though he said he’d be able to eat solid food again about six weeks after the surgery. Then it’s a question of putting on weight, regaining energy and passing certain check marks from doctors.
‘It’s been one of the weirdest injuries I’ve ever had,’ he said. ‘The feeling of having so much trauma in your mouth, it’s just a wild feeling. We’re doing everything we can to get back fast and I’m healing really good, so hopefully not too much longer.’
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament starts in February.