Tuesday won’t be an ordinary regular-season opener for the Bruins.
Boston will kick off its 2024-25 slate at Amerant Bank Arena, where Florida will raise the franchise’s first Stanley Cup championship banner before puck drop. The ceremony could inspire unfortunate flashbacks for the Bruins, who were eliminated from the playoffs by the Panthers in each of the last two seasons.
But as Jeremy Swayman explained after Boston’s practice Monday, watching a fierce rival celebrate a title could have a positive impact on the Black and Gold.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment by them,” Swayman told reporters, per a team-provided video. “We all know we want to do the same thing this year. Seeing it in person is going to be extra motivation for sure. But again, it’s every day I see that. I see that Stanley Cup in our hands. So, that’s going to be something that will always motivate us.”
Swayman also might have personal motivation to help Boston stage a deep postseason run. The 25-year-old, who signed a new contract Sunday, might want to prove the Bruins were right to make him one of the league’s highest-paid netminders.
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All told, it doesn’t seem like Jim Montgomery’s side will have any problems adding fuel to their fire as the season unfolds.
Featured image via Jim Rassol/Imagn Images
