Sullivan and son-in-law McAvoy cherish being on the same team
Associated Press
By Stephen Whyno
AP Hockey Writer
MONTREAL — Charlie McAvoy and Mike Sullivan have a strong connection off the ice that goes way beyond hockey.
McAvoy is married to Sullivan’s daughter Kiley, who recently gave birth to the couple’s first child. McAvoy plays defense for the Boston Bruins, Sullivan coaches the Pittsburgh Penguins and their careers had not overlapped until now, when they’re on the same team with the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“I have a son now, for his dad to play for his grandpa, those are things that I would have never dreamed of,” McAvoy said. “This is just where hockey’s taken us, where our jobs have taken us, so it’s extremely special.”
Sullivan, the U.S. team’s head coach, called it an incredible privilege and thinks he and McAvoy will gain a greater appreciation of this looking back on it.
“Someday we might look back on this and smile,” Sullivan said. “Charlie means the world to us, to our family. First and foremost, he’s a terrific hockey player. He’s fierce competitor. But more importantly than that is he’s a great kid and a good person and he means the world to our family.”
Rhys Michael McAvoy was born in late January. Sullivan joked he had “zero input” on the name Kiley and Charlie chose.
But adding to their family just before being together for an international tournament only added to their joy.
“What it’s like when him and my daughter just had their first baby, for my wife and I, it’s an incredible thrill,” Sullivan said. “It’s certainly a privilege to be a grandparent, and we’re enjoying that process. And it’s new. He’s only 2 weeks old. It’s exciting times for our family. This event just adds to the excitement. I’m certainly, from my standpoint, I can’t tell you what it means to me to have the opportunity to share in this event with him.”
McAvoy said he does get teased a bit by his U.S. teammates, but he added that he and Sullivan are professionals and there’s no concerns about the dynamics of playing for his father-in-law.
“Everybody gets it at this point,” McAvoy said. “My friends all know, and everybody really knows. It’s certainly funnier now and easier to make a couple jokes about it, but at the end of the day, we’ve both worked to be here and it’s an incredible honor to be here together.”