BOSTON — As Jeremy Swayman watched the members of the 1970 and 1972 Bruins pull the rope to re-raise their banners to TD Garden Rafters as part of the ceremony honoring players from that era on Saturday, he felt honored.
And inspired.
And more than a little motivated.
BET ANYTHINGGET $250 BONUSESPN BET
21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
“I was thinking how honored I am to wear the same jersey as those guys,” he said. “It’s a huge motivator for myself and I’m sure all my teammates. It means the world to be able to wear the same crest as them. Knowing that they created such an incredible history that paved the way for hockey in general and what it means to be a Boston Bruin.”
That’s the sort of greatness Swayman aspired to. He wants to be the type of player people remember 50 years after his playing career is over. He wants to pull banners he helped earn into the rafters.
“I’ve wanted to be that since I could walk. That’s a motivator I’ve always had,” said Swayman, who met and talked to Gerry Cheevers and Eddie Johnston, the goalies on the 1970 and 1972 teams this week. “To etch history and to be at the level to do that now, I’m excited. It’s a huge motivator for myself. I would love to be in their shoes someday doing the same thing.”
Swayman channeled that motivation into focus. These same Canadiens had beaten him in overtime a week ago, creating the only blemish on his resumé this season. He never let them get close on Saturday.
Swayman made two terrific saves on an early Canadiens power player in the opening minutes. He turned back Cole Caulfield on a one-timer and then stoned Josh Anderson’s clear wrist shot attempt from inside the right-wing faceoff dot.
“That’s huge,” Brad Marchand said. “We’ve relied on them, a lot, a little bit too much. When you have a goalie that makes saves like that, it allows you to take a breath and calm down and get back to playing your game. It allows you to know if you make a mistake, it’s not always going to end up in the back of your net.”
Very little has ended up in the back of the Bruins net this season. While 2023 Vezina winner Linus Ullmark has been excellent, Swayman has been even better so far. It was another strong night in a season of strong nights for the 24-year-old Alaskan, whose 1.73 goals against average and .941 save percentage lead the NHL. He’s yet to lose in regulation this year at 7-0-1.
- All betting sites in MA will have promo codes for signing up. Don’t forget to check out BetMGM Massachusetts and DraftKings Massachusetts.
For the goalies he admired during the pregame, Swayman put on a show. He made every save when the game was close before the Canadiens beat him twice when the game was out of reach. Still, he wanted those too.
“All saves are big saves, but I want to take every shot like it’s the last shot possible,” he said. “I want to make big saves, small saves and all the ones in between.”
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
