Charlie Mcavoy’s Olympic diary: On U.S. women’s gold and Slovakia
charlie mcavoy, a top-pair defenseman and alternate captain for the United States men’s hockey team, wrote about the emotional boost from the U. S. women’s gold and his team’s focus ahead of a semifinal against Slovakia. The diary entries capture both a personal hometown moment and a concrete view of what a win would mean for Team USA.
Charlie McAvoy on U. S. women’s gold
In a diary entry written from Milan, Charlie McAvoy described team reaction after watching the U. S. women win Olympic gold. Players gathered at dinner and later returned to a team space in the Olympic Village to watch the final moments; McAvoy said Megan Keller’s decisive goal prompted “a lot of jumps, a lot of happy yells and a lot of goosebumps. ” He called the women’s tournament finish deserved and said the victory was inspiring for the men’s squad.
McAvoy noted personal connections to several members of the women’s team through his sister, naming players he has known from Bishop Kearney Selects and adding that two players in particular, Caroline Harvey and Laila Edwards, stood out to him as stars he’s enjoyed talking hockey with in the Village. He framed their success as motivation for the men’s group: “We want to get to where they got to, ” he wrote.
Hometown recognition in Bethpage
A separate hometown tribute in Bethpage brought the Olympics home for McAvoy’s family. Jennifer McAvoy, a second-grade teacher at Kramer Lane Elementary School, received a special pep rally in her son’s honor. Students wore red, white and blue, waved flags and watched a slideshow about Olympic athletes, and the event included a question-and-answer session where students asked about his hockey beginnings and training.
The school event highlighted that Charlie McAvoy is the only athlete from Long Island representing the United States at these Winter Games. Jennifer McAvoy said she has been in regular contact with him since he departed and that he was excited about participating in the opening ceremonies while remaining focused on the team’s goal of winning gold. The family’s roots on Long Island and early hockey years were part of the conversation at the school, where teachers framed the pep rally as both celebration and a lesson about the Olympics.
Semifinal against Slovakia and outlook
McAvoy’s diary also turns to the immediate competitive picture: Team USA’s semifinal matchup with Slovakia. He emphasized that the squad now knows what it is playing for — a chance to reach the gold medal game — and said the team feels better prepared after a previous quarterfinal that he described as “a gold-medal-quality game. ” He singled out Sweden from that earlier match, noting that Sweden had goaltending, defensemen, forwards and marquee names that made the quarterfinal a rigorous test.
On roster details he is central to, McAvoy is 28 years old and in his ninth full NHL season. He is a top-pairing defenseman to the right of Quinn Hughes on the national team, and one of two alternate captains alongside Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk. He is also a three-time gold medalist in international tournaments and a former collegiate standout. Those roles frame his leadership heading into the Slovakia game.
What happens next is straightforward and conditional: a win over Slovakia would advance Team USA to the gold medal game. McAvoy framed the team as battle-tested after the tough quarterfinal and said that experience should serve them well in the semifinal. Specific game details and final lineups for the Slovakia matchup were not detailed in the diary and remain unclear at this time.
Key takeaways from the diary: McAvoy drew motivation from the women’s team’s title, his family has received visible local support in Bethpage, and Team USA enters the semifinal feeling battle-tested with a clear path to the gold-medal game if it wins the upcoming matchup.
