Jeremy Swayman didn't have a whole lot of playing time with Tuukka Rask, but it's clear the latter left quite the impression on the rookie.
Swayman stopped all 30 shots that came his way in the Boston Bruins' 2-0 shutout win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre. It was the goalie's second shutout of the season and fourth of his career.
Rask retired from the NHL after spending 15 seasons with the Bruins. He and Swayman manned the net during the Stanley Cup playoffs last year after Swayman impressed on short notice toward the end of the 2020-21 season.
After the game, Swayman was asked about Rask and had heaps of praise for the now-retired goalie.
"First and foremost, Tuukka's been a great mentor to me. He had an incredible career so I give tons of kudos to him," Swayman told reporters over Zoom. "It was incredible to be (in a tandem) with him and obviously all the accolades he's compiled over the years is pretty incredible. Hall of Fame-bound, for sure. And what an incredible mentor. I can't have enough good things to say about him. That's all I'm focused on, giving him the kudos. He wants what's best for the team, so do I and so does everyone in that locker room. Whatever I can do to perform at my best and give the team the best chance to win is what I'm going to do."
Rask is the winningest goalie in Bruins history, a 2014 Vezina Trophy winner and was the backup goalie for the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, to name just a few of his accolades, so he certainly could pass down a lot of experience to Swayman.
