3 things we learned from Bruins star Charlie McAvoy's ESPN interview

Charlie McAvoy, the Boston Bruins star defenseman, appeared on Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt on Wednesday night to discuss Boston's chances of making a run at the Presidents' Trophy and even the Stanley Cup.

The Bruins have been the hottest team in hockey this season. They hold a record of 39-7-5 with a point total of 83. The next closest team in the standings are the Carolina Hurricanes at 76 points and a 34-9-8 record.

Here are three things we learned from Charlie McAvoy's chat with Scott Van Pelt:

#1 The Bruins record isn’t going to their heads

Boston boast a commanding record in the NHL Presidents Trophy race, but McAvoy is certain that their record and solid play over the first few months of the season won’t impact the team mentally. McAvoy reiterated how good the NHL is, and that any team can go down on any night.

"It's kinda crazy I’ll tell ya, it’s not something we can all wrap our heads around. We're just finding ways to win games and at a certain point I guess it kind of becomes the normal.”

#2 The Boston team is determined not to let past success dictate the future

McAvoy continued by saying that if Boston stumble, it might be good for them so they can learn from the experience. That might happen when Boston takes on the Dallas Stars on Valentine’s Day next week in a battle between the top team in the Western Conference and the top team in the Eastern Conference.

“You know we definitely improved our standard and what we expect of each other. It's so hard to win in this league and we know we're going to trip up along the way but I think that we’ve gotten to the point where those things are good for us to learn even more about ourselves.”

#3 The Presidents' Trophy doesn’t mean anything for Boston

The Bruins were responsible for the Presidents' Trophy during the 2020 and 2014 seasons. Each season, Boston bounced back from the playoffs before the Stanley Cup. McAvoy is sure that the Bruins will try and make sure that doesn’t happen again.

“You're absolutely right. You know we did it a few years back, where we won the Presidents' trophy and lost in the playoffs. It really doesn't mean anything, I'll tell you, I’d trade it all for a Stanley Cup… I think for us, we know that we know that that's not what we're playing for.”