A Bond Between the Pipes

BOSTON - Jeremy Swayman never passes up an opportunity to interact with a fan.
The 23-year-old, set to enter just his second full season with the Bruins this fall, has quickly embraced the importance of giving back to the community, an ethos of the Black & Gold that dates back decades and a standard set by those that have come before him in the Spoked-B.

Inevitably, those interactions with the Bruins faithful around town often come with queries about what life is like as an NHL goaltender, perhaps a request for an autograph, and, naturally, a selfie or two. Such was the case this past summer as Swayman made his way through a charity function at Fenway Park.
But there was one special moment that stood out among the rest on that warm and muggy August afternoon on Lansdowne Street. As the Alaska native made his way around the annual Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon, he crossed paths with eight-year-old Olivia. After chatting for a few minutes, it was time for a hug - but not just your average hug.
Swayman wound up, leaned back, and stretched out his arms as Olivia did the same.
It was an embrace rivaling any that Swayman shared on the ice with goalie partner Linus Ullmark during the 2021-22 season, and as good an indication as any of how much the duo's post-win squeeze has swept through New England.
"We love having the hockey community, young and old, all around the nation supporting that," said Swayman. "We weren't doing it for the lights or the camera. We were doing it for each other and it's pretty special how it blossomed."
The "hug it out" celebration has become a staple of the Bruins' postgame routine with the TD Garden faithful sticking in their seats for a few extra minutes to catch a glimpse and let out one final roar before heading for the exits.
"The hug started super naturally," said Swayman. "I think it was after the first game against Dallas in the regular season last year [a 3-1 win over the Stars]. It was an emotional game, it was super exciting. [My] first Opening Night. And usually, you get a head tap or a high five from a goalie, but [Ullmark] came in fully swinging and I was ready for it.
"It's just like, 'this is so natural,' and we're just gonna hug because that's what we felt in the moment. We didn't realize it was going to become what it became. We're super fortunate for that."
The reaction to the postgame hug has been far more substantial than Swayman and Ullmark could have imagined. In addition to the "Hug It Out" merchandise - towels, pucks, shirts, pennants - flying off the shelves of the Boston ProShop, the duo has received countless videos and photos of goalies and hockey players of all ages duplicating the celebration following their own victories.
"It was a surprise that it grew to such a big thing," said Ullmark. "There was this little, little thing that we do, which is a simple hug. And it just grew and grew and grew. And all of a sudden, we're getting videos and pictures from minor goaltenders. We're getting videos from their mom just thanking us for showing that love, that happiness and respect towards each other.
"And we're like, 'we're on to something here…this is bigger than us.' We never thought it would grow to be this big. And we were very fortunate and very happy that something bigger and something better did come out of it."

Building a Bond

For Swayman and Ullmark, however, the hug is just a small part of the bond they've quickly built in their short time sharing the Bruins' net. Entering the 2021-22 campaign, the Black & Gold were facing uncertainty in goal for the first time in well over a decade.
For nearly 15 years, Boston had the luxury of knowing that either Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask - with three Vezina Trophies among them - would be shouldering the load between the pipes. But last fall, as Rask recovered from offseason hip surgery, the Bruins started the season without either one of them on the roster for the first time since 2004.
The B's were thus forced to ice an entirely new goaltending tandem, signing Ullmark to a four-year contract during free agency, while also sticking with Swayman, who had impressed in a brief 10-game stint (7-3-0, 1.50 goals against average, .945 save percentage) with Boston at the end of the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.
With two new goalies in the mix, it could have been a rough transition. But the duo made sure from the beginning that their relationship would be anything but rocky. After signing his $20 million contract in July 2021, Ullmark immediately reached out to Swayman, setting in motion a rapport that grew more and more as time progressed.
"I tried to set the tone from Day 1," said Ullmark. "I sent him a text message line after I signed, I gave him a heads up that I really appreciated the effort you put in so far. I'm going to keep on pushing you, too, and I'm expecting you to do the same for me so that we both can thrive and be the best version of ourselves and be the best goalies that we could possibly be every day."
On his first day at Warrior Ice Arena last summer, Ullmark was in the midst of a conversation with Boston blue liner Charlie McAvoy when Swayman grabbed his attention with what has now become their signature greeting.
"Beauty is all I can say," said Ullmark. "My very first meeting with Sway…I came into the locker room, and he came after me…I'm talking a little bit with Charlie McAvoy and Sway came in - all of a sudden, I just hear 'BEAUUUTYYYY.'
"I didn't know who it was going to, but I knew it was a positive thing. And just looking at the reaction from people around the room and him as well…it was so fun. And now when I think about it, it's such a classic thing from him and all the guys in the room."
Alas, a brother-like bond was formed, as both backstops agreed from the beginning that, despite what was set to be a healthy competition for playing time, they'd always be there to support each other. The team's success, they concurred, was most important.
"It was absolutely a quick bond," said Swayman. "I knew he was a special person right from the get-go. He came in with a huge smile, excited to be there and one of the first conversations we had with each other was just how excited we were to be teammates. We were in this together right away. Obviously, there's a really good healthy competition between us both but at the end of the day, we both decided we were going to push for each other to be really good.
"That was a special thing coming from another goalie. He was an older guy, had experience in the league, he knew I was just coming in for my first full year. He was an ally for me right away. He said, 'Anything you need, ups and downs, I'm here for you, a shoulder to lean on.' That's just what the relationship was and continues to be. I'm really fortunate to have him as a goalie partner and friend."

Creating Conversation

Those ups and downs, of course, did come. There were stellar stretches and frustrating stretches for both backstops as they navigated through their first full seasons with the Black & Gold. And in January when Rask made his triumphant return, Swayman was sent to Providence, a difficult - though motivating - period that ultimately lasted only three weeks after a setback forced Rask into retirement.
Through it all, Swayman and Ullmark remained steadfast in their approach: they'd be there for each other no matter what circumstances came their way.
"I think a season together is gonna bring you closer together with any teammate but with a goalie partner especially," said Swayman. "When we both had good and bad games, we were always there for each other. It was a level-headed mindset and we wanted to make sure that, again, all we wanted was for the team's best interest.
"That brought us closer throughout the year and we had emotional games, emotional wins, and it was really special to have a guy to come up to you first after every game in the locker room and say, 'Hey, that was an awesome game, super happy for you.' That's what we have and that's what brought us closer."
While the majority of their postgame interactions are positive, they also aren't afraid to offer each other constructive criticism. Those high standards, no doubt, were a major contributor in their success in 2021-22, as the duo helped pace Boston to a 107-point regular season, while combining for 49 of the Bruins' 51 wins (Rask had the other two).
Swayman (2.41) and Ullmark (2.45) finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the NHL in goals against average. Ullmark, who set a career-high with 26 victories, also ranked ninth in save percentage (.917).
"So, that's the thing about creating that relationship that we have. Just because we have such a type of relationship, we can be very honest with each other," said Ullmark. "I can let him know when to use that. I can let him know that he's not putting in the work that needs to be done. He can do the same thing for me as well. And when you have that bond, you have that trust in each other that just creates a very healthy environment for everybody.
"Everybody is just climbing and climbing and climbing to become better, to beat each other. And, you know, whenever someone has a day off or a slump, there's always guys there trying to pick each other up."
The duo also makes sure to leave hockey on the back burner from time to time. With Swayman hailing from Alaska and Ullmark from Northern Sweden, both have an appreciation for the outdoors and love to pick each other's brains about hiking and other offseason adventures.
"For us, we kind of had a lot of things in common," said Ullmark. "Whenever you have that kind of same upbringing, how it is to be out in the wilderness away from a lot of things and not being a city person, we could form that bond pretty quickly.
"And we figured out that we are basically kind of the same person that just likes to have fun and likes to encourage everybody else to be better and be happy with their life and try to bring a lot of energy to our environment."
Even though they spent their summers half a world away from each other, they made sure to keep in touch with regular texts and FaceTimes.
"It's about everything. It's about life. It's about family. It's everything," Swayman said of his conversations with Ullmark. "And that's what's special because he's more than a teammate; he's a best friend, he's a brother, and he's going through different life scenarios right now with a young family.
"He's been in my position. I get rough ideas from him. We talk about dogs, we talk about hiking, saunas, you name it. It's been really fun to learn more about the Swedish culture as well. Some of my best friends are from Sweden and I've always loved the European mindset of things. It's fun to kind of bounce that off each other away from the rink."
It's a rapport that Ullmark, who's set to embark on his eighth NHL season, has never experienced before with one of his goaltending partners. For the vast majority of his seven-year stint with the Buffalo Sabres, the 29-year-old was the one learning the ropes. But now, Ullmark has the chance to impart what he has learned on to Swayman as he continues to maneuver through life in the National Hockey League.
"No, that's for certain," Ullmark said when asked if he's ever experienced a goalie bond as tight as the one he has with Swayman. "It's a different kind of vibe. I've always been the younger one, compared to the other guys in the league. When I came into the league, I was the younger guy who had Carter [Hutton] carry me as a rookie and kind of showed me the ropes. And I felt kind of the same responsibility for Sway…he is a tremendous goaltender, he's a terrific person.
"And there's some things in life that you just don't know. And I've gone through the sort of things that he hasn't as of yet. Like a slump…you have your highs and lows and it's all about creating a sense of not getting too high or too low. You want to be right in the middle…from my end at least to kind of create that calmness mentally for him."

Keep On Hugging

As Swayman and Ullmark gear up for their second season together in Black & Gold, their union is certain to grow even stronger. And you can be sure that the hug won't be going anywhere.
"That's all it is, just this pure excitement," said Ullmark. "You just have all these feelings inside of you…you're reaching out your open arms and you just want to embrace your boy. And that's what we did…it just became this little thing that we did for each other to show that support and that happiness…that you were great today, I'm so happy for you.
"It became that little icing on the cake to finish off the game. And it helped to kind of close down the game as well. You've got the hug now. You have done your part, done a job. Now, on to the next one."