When you spend hours with someone day in and day out for years, you invariably form a close connection. And to do it on the ice in the NHL? That’s the kind of bond that lasts a lifetime. For Charlie McAvoy, that was a big part of the whole hockey experience. “There’s another aspect to this game that has nothing to do with on the ice, and that’s the friendships,” said the Bruins’ blueliner once about how his time with the team has given him some great buddies. But like a true friend, McAvoy loves to watch his mates grow, even if that success comes somewhere other than Boston.

When Brad Marchand was shockingly traded to the Florida Panthers just before the trade deadline this year, it was massive a loss to the Bruins community. Marchand himself didn’t hide the fact that he was sad over having left the place he called “home“. However, with the Cats, the Canadian flourished like a fairytale NHL arc: In the playoffs, Marchand hauled 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) in 23 games, leading Paul Maurice’s boys to their second straight Stanley Cup victory. But Charlie McAvoy couldn’t be happier about it.

Talking to 32 Thoughts’ Elliotte Friedman recently, the American hockey star confessed how good he felt seeing his former teammate adjusting with the Panthers in exceptional style. On being asked about McAvoy’s reaction to Marchand’s brilliant maiden season with the South Miami team, the former stated flatly, “It was just awesome to watch. For me, it was inspiring to see him. That’s a guy that I’ve spent, you know, every second with since the moment I got into the league. It was just fun.”

In the YouTube upload by Sportsnet, McAvoy further underscored why Marchand’s success was especially thrilling, given how the Bruins tanked their own regular-season campaign. “You know, it was hard.  It was hard times. We’re not healthy, and, you know, you’re seeing the struggle that those guys are going through every day when we’re not getting results…So then you take a guy like Marshy, and, you know, you flip him to Florida,  and it was almost like a little bit of a rebirth, right? And you just saw sort of like a new lease on life type thing.” McAvoy didn’t look anything other than earnest, talking about Marchand’s terrific Panthers debut.

“He was there. He was happy,” McAvoy went on about how he could almost feel Marchand’s glee himself. But it wasn’t surprising to the 27-year-old NHL star. After all, he knew that Marchand had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities during his tenure in Boston. “I can imagine his stress level was a lot less. You know, we asked a lot of Brad to be sort of Mr. Everything for us,” McAvoy said, before elaborating how the reduced stress levels helped the 4 Nations Face-Off winner.

McAvoy said, “In there, I think he slotted into a role where he didn’t have to do that, and he excelled in it. So watching him play with joy and have fun and be able to go win, it was just great.” That is true, in all honesty. While the Bruins finished the 2024-25 season at the bottom of the table, having parted ways with former coach Jim Montgomery and Brad Marchand, the Panthers’ incredible depth in the roster meant that Marchy could sit back and not bear the burden of having to do everything by himself.

But while McAvoy did note his happiness about Brad’s Stanley Cup triumph with the Sunset, Florida, team, he has also previously admitted to being sad about having to bid goodbye to one of his closest friends.

Charlie McAvoy’s friendship with Marchand goes beyond the ice

“As a younger guy on the team and someone who’s growing. He’s really looking out for my future,” McAvoy had previously said about how Marchand was almost a mentor-like figure for him in the Bruins’ locker room. Naturally, with the shock trade between the Panthers and Boston, Charlie now had to fend for himself. But the last season didn’t give enough opportunity to the fans to witness how McAvoy would perform without the two-time Stanley Cup winner by his side. After the 4 Nations, while Marchy was settling into his new shoes, McAvoy was battling a life-threatening shoulder infection.

On the other hand, despite being hundreds of miles away from his old stomping ground, Marchand also made sure McAvoy knew he was on the former’s mind during the trying times. “Chucky is one of my best friends. I care a lot about him,” said the ex-Bruins captain following the revelation that he had reached out to McAvoy to get news on his recovery progress. That’s how you stand beside your friends in their time of need.

And now, as another season approaches, Charlie McAvoy can finally lace up in a bid to reinstate the Bruins to their former glory. But how will his performance with the hockey stick be affected without Marchand scoring goals for the team on the other side of the rink? We’ll have to wait to see!