Charles McAvoy Sr. did not want his son to take over the family plumbing business. He made sure that, for Charlie McAvoy, becoming a professional hockey player would be more than just a pipe dream. “My dad, he always told me he had bigger dreams for me, that he wanted more for me than just t o take over McAvoy Plumbing and Heating,” said Charlie, now a defenseman for the Boston Bruins who is set to compete in the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics with the U.S. men’s hockey team. “He gave me every opportunity in the world to follow my passions.” It was an opportunity his father never had growing up. Charles — before spending 30 years running a four-generation plumbing business on Long Island, New York — was a promising hockey player himself. But as the youngest of seven siblings, the expenses of travel hockey were too costly, and he was unable to play beyond high school.     “The opportunity was probably there, but the finances weren’t always there,” Charles said on an episode of NBC Local’s “My New Favorite Olympian.” “And travel hockey was not cheap back then. And the hours were much different. The ice slots were not available as they are now. So, we stuck with it as long as we could. But my dad just couldn’t swing it. “I didn’t get that opportunity, and I wanted to make sure that Charlie and his sisters had that opportunity to play and give it their best.” Charlie began skating at the age of 3. He wouldn’t follow in his ancestors’ footsteps while on skates, but he’d go on to learn elements of the work ethic and physical grind that made the family business successful for decades. He’d spend some days — often under the sweltering summer sun — as a plumber’s helper.    “I’d be all excited to go do it,” he said. “And very early in the day, I found out that we were doing some undesired work.” Like jackhammering the sidewalk and digging through sand to reach a water main with his father. “He threw me the shovel and basically was like, ‘Hey, dig until you hear a pipe,’” Charlie said. Charlie said he has the utmost respect for plumbers and trade workers, but he knew his father wanted something different for him — like a career where the tools of the trade include a hockey stick and puck instead of a jackhammer and wrench. “Every day I saw him work, he’s putting everything he has into that,” Charlie said. “So, I knew I owed it to him to put everything I had into hockey, the same way.” His father also happened to quite literally have the keys to success … as in the keys to the local hockey rink. 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics May 19, 2025 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina: See dates, sports, how to watch, more 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Jun 16, 2025 Get to know Team USA Olympians ahead of the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics Jun 9, 2025 How to watch the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina “I was converting the whole building from oil to gas and putting in new equipment and gas lines, et cetera. So, they gave me the keys,” Charles said. “They said, anytime I want to use it, go. And Charlie was young and we took full advantage of that. We were probably there every night of the week when he was a little guy.” Charlie began to develop the skating skills he’d later use on the ice while competing for a Stanley Cup and gold medal. “His skating took off because skating is the whole game and he just loved getting on the ice,” Charles said. “I’d get off because I’d be exhausted from work and he would just stay out there and I would just sit and let him do his thing.” After growing up on Long Beach, an oceanfront city on the south coast of Long Island, Charlie played two seasons with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program in Michigan. He went on to play for Boston University, being named a first team All-American in his sophomore season. Charlie was then selected by the Bruins with the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, making the NHL All-Rookie Team after recording seven goals and 25 assists. “I don’t think we had the crystal ball and would have known,” Charlie said. “But [Charles] did it because he saw that it made me happy and it was something I wanted to do. There’s nothing I can do to repay him for that sacrifice he made.” His father refused to teach his son how to fix leaky pipes so he could keep his focus between the pipes. “I don’t have a clue how to how to plumb … I don’t even know if that’s the tense in which you’d say it,” Charlie said. “I think he purposely didn’t teach me a thing on plumbing. I called him the other day because my faucet was a little off center, and he’s trying to walk me through it. And halfway I just said, ‘Bring your tools when you come up, I’ll have you fix it.’ He goes, ‘I’m going to charge you, though.’ I said, ‘Go ahead.’” You can tune into “My New Favorite Olympian” wherever you listen to podcasts, with episodes featuring McAvoy and more Olympians. ...read more read less