BOSTON — With Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman out with an injury, he didn’t get a chance to wear Boston’s reverse retro “Pooh Bear” jersey when it debuted on Nov. 7.
But Swayman sure enjoyed getting the chance to throw one on over his pads Saturday in his return to the starting lineup, especially with the Bruins cruising to a dominant 6-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at TD Garden in the stylish threads.
“Unbelievable,” Swayman said. “I got the hat on. I’m not taking it off. It’s sweet. I think we should do this every year. It’s a really fun jersey and the guys obviously play really well in it. So, keep that going.”
Swayman wasn’t tested much in the win as he only faced 18 shots, turning aside 17 of them against an offensively-challenged Blackhawks squad. It was Swayman’s first start since Oct. 27 and his first game action since Nov. 1 when he suffered a lower-body injury due to a collision with Patrice Bergeron.
“Unbelievable,” Swayman said on how it felt to be back. “It was a long two weeks, working every day for a common goal and that was to get back on the ice for a game. To get this win at home was a special one. So, I’m really happy to be back.”
The Bruins are scheduled to wear the Pooh Bear jersey four more times this season. The logo was a part of the Bruins’ third jersey from 1995-2006.
But Swayman wouldn’t mind if this new jersey became a permanent fixture for the Bruins.
“We don’t want to stop wearing them,” Swayman said. “They’re sweet. Chicago’s are cool too. So, it was cool to see that both team wearing them at the same time.”
The Bruins will next wear their reverse retro jersey this upcoming Friday when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden.
