U.S. coach Mike Sullivan, who is also McAvoy's father-in-law, said the defenseman was disappointed to miss the chance to play for a championship with the U.S. in his home arena.
“This tournament means a lot to him,” Sullivan said Tuesday. “He’s a very competitive guy. There’s a personal note with respect to my relationship with him and I’m disappointed for him because first and foremost he’s a great kid and he’s a terrific hockey player and I know this meant a lot to him.”
McAvoy played 19:45 against Finland, the third-highest total among defensemen behind Zach Werenski (21:45) and Jaccob Slavin (20:55). In a 3-1 win against Canada on Saturday, McAvoy played 19:27.
“His character, the way he is in the room, his leadership,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said about what the U.S. would miss with McAvoy out. “Just such a phenomenal teammate and obviously a great hockey player. The physicality he brings to the team and how hard he plays every shift, that’s contagious for any group he’s a part of.”
During the regular season, McAvoy missed seven games for the Bruins between Jan. 11-30 with an upper-body injury. He returned for five games before the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off. The defenseman has 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 50 games this season.
"He's an assistant captain. He's a leader for this team and our team in Boston," said U.S. goalie Jeremy Swayman, McAvoy's Bruins teammate. "All we can hope for is the best and a speedy recovery. Health is a priority and we want him to go home safe and be able to take care of him and his family. We have an incredible training staff, medical staff in Boston, so we're very lucky and I know he's in good hands. We wish him the best and hope he gets back soon."
He plays a physical style that was on display against Canada and something that will be missed Thursday. It was his hit on center Connor McDavid on Saturday that, in addition to the three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, reverberated throughout and helped set the tone for the U.S. victory.
“He doesn’t make it easy on other teams and other top players,” said Hanifin, who has played with McAvoy since they were kids. “And a guy like McDavid or [center Nathan] MacKinnon, the talent that they have on that team, it’s important to have guys like Charlie in your lineup, just how hard he competes every shift. He doesn’t make it easy on the other team.
“It’s something we’re definitely going to miss and I think everybody else just has to step up because we’re losing a huge piece.”
The piece that would replace McAvoy on Thursday remains unclear; on Tuesday, Sullivan said Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes was "coming" to Boston. Hughes, named as one of the initial six players for the U.S. with McAvoy, had to pull out of the tournament Feb. 9 with an undisclosed injury.
But with the news that McAvoy will be unavailable to the U.S. for the final game, Sullivan said Hughes was going to come to Boston. The defenseman, however, was still in Vancouver on Tuesday, practicing in a red noncontact jersey.
Hughes would only be able to join the roster should the team drop below six healthy defensemen; Thomas Harley was added to Canada's roster Saturday after Shea Theodore was ruled out because of injury and Cale Makar was out because of illness.
NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin and independent correspondent Joe McDonald contributed to this report
