Jeremy Swayman turned a lot of heads this NHL season and held his own between the pipes for the Bruins, so it's no surprise the Boston goaltender was awarded NESN's 7th Player Award on Thursday.
Swayman, before his rookie slump, was putting himself into the Calder Trophy conversation. The 23-year-old Alaska native made highlight-reel save after highlight-reel save, began to solidify himself as the Bruins' No. 1 goalie and stole games for his team to keep Boston in the playoff race.
The 7th Player Award is "given each year to the unsung hero on the team –- the player that works hard every day for the good of the team without any expectation to be recognized" and is voted on by the fans.
So it's no real surprise Swayman won the award.
Swayman began the season with Linus Ullmark as the two goalies before Tuukka Rask returned from offseason hip surgery. Swayman was the odd-man out during that time despite his hot streak and was sent to Providence.
The first question Swayman asked general manager Don Sweeney was if either Ullmark or Rask struggle, that meant he got the net back. It didn't take long for the goalie to return to Boston after Rask was forced to retire due to lingering effects from his surgery. From that point on, Swayman knew he wasn't going anywhere and began to play out of his mind.
He took head coach Bruce Cassidy's criticism and turned it into motivation to go on a torrid stretch to begin 2022. He never had the "why me?" mentality when he was sent to the AHL. He always remained in the moment, focused on making the next save and never let the outside noise get to him.
Swayman's 23-13-3 record, 2.37 GAA and .915 save percentage without a doubt make him deserving of the annual award, but it's how he handled himself in uncertain times, responded to criticism and how he remained calm after giving up a goal that makes him all the more deserving.
Maybe it's all the laughing and juggling he does pregame, or maybe it's the postgame hug with Ullmark that has made his rookie season such a success.
