Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman had a brief moment to himself before he got engulfed by teammates to celebrate a record-setting win Sunday night.
As the horn sounded on Boston’s 5-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center, which notched the NHL’s single-season wins record with the Bruins 63rd of the season, Swayman stood in his crease and pointed skyward.
The gesture, and the win, took on incredible importance to the 24-year-old netminder, as in those few seconds, he paid tribute to his former coach Red Gendron, who died two years ago to the date and coached Swayman at the University of Maine for three years.
“Tonight was a really special one,” an emotional Swayman told NHL Network’s Jackie Redmond, per Bleacher Report video. “Two years ago today my all-time mentor, Red Gendron, passed away. I was actually in Philly when it happened. I think it was pretty scripted today how it worked out. It was pretty special for that.”
With a heavy heart, Swayman turned in another standout performance to backstop the Bruins in rewriting the NHL’s record book yet again. Swayman made 34 saves to register his 23rd win of the season, matching his total from last season and tying the career-high for the third-year pro.
He has formed a dominant duo with Linus Ullmark, the consensus favorite to walk away with the Vezina Trophy this year. But Ullmark along with a host of other Bruins stars like Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy, didn’t travel to Philadelphia as they got additional rest before the start of the playoffs.
That took away the signature on-ice, postgame hug between Swayman and Ullmark. But Swayman made sure he had a replacement ready to go at the last second.
“I was a little bummed that (Ullmark) wasn’t gonna make the trip, but it was awesome,” Swayman told reporters, per The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. “(Providence call-up Brandon Bussi) came in, he was iffy, and I said, ‘Come over here.'”
With another win, the trademark celebration lived on. But for Swayman, the hug was secondary on a night when he honored his mentor and helped the Bruins make history.
