Why Jeremy Swayman Felt ‘Emotional’ Before Bruins’ Home Opener

BOSTON — All eyes were on Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman the last few weeks due to his contract situation.

All eyes were on him again Thursday night at TD Garden with Swayman being the first Bruins player to walk out of the makeshift tunnel and hit the ice as part of Boston’s annual pregame introductions for its home opener.

The 25-year-old netminder, who is fresh off signing a lucrative eight-year contract extension, emerged to a resounding chorus of cheers from the Bruins faithful. And Swayman most definitely took notice of the ovation.

“It was pretty emotional, that warm welcome,” Swayman said following Boston’s 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. “It just goes to show what kind of fan base we have here, knowing it’s more than just a player, it’s a human being they care about. And I got pretty emotional finally stepping on that ice and hearing that roar again. It’s, again, just an incredible amount of gratitude. I’m so grateful to be a part of this city, a part of this team. And it’s moments like that that make everything worth it.”

Swayman missed all of training camp and Boston’s preseason slate of games in search of a new contract. With that in hand now, he can just focus on his job between the pipes.

He wasn’t at his best against the Canadiens, but still did enough by making 20 saves, including coming up with a few timely stops in the third period.

Swayman said he was “not satisfied” with his performance, but it was hard to be upset with how things went since this start in net didn’t seem likely just a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s such an incredible thing to be back playing and in this building again,” Swayman said. “It’s a boatload of gratitude just knowing how much time I spent away from the rink and I couldn’t be happier being back in the rhythm of things.”