From the days of a maskless Tiny Thompson and Frank Brimsek welcoming a salvo of shots between the pipes to today's stalwarts in net like Tuukka Rask, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price, goalies have always been a quirky lot, going against the grain on most conventional forms of thinking off of their unique musings.
But you'd be hard-pressed to find even the most off-kilter netminder that was going to agree with the sentiments tossed out on Tuesday night by Bruins rookie Jeremy Swayman — a guy who prides himself on not carrying around the label of the "weird goalie."
“I love shootouts," Swayman said with a smile on his face following Boston's 3-2 win over the Sabres. "I think it’s one of the best parts of the game if we get to it."
For most netminders, the shootout is far from an enjoyable experience — with valuable points in the standings doled out by just how well they hold up as they get fed to the wolves with breakaway attempt after breakaway attempt.
Goaltenders are often on an island as the last line of defense for their club, but covering the twine as the lone man in your club's end of the ice as a skater barrels down toward you is another level of isolation — with every misstep and gamble laid bare with no support to be found aside from your teammates on the bench.
But on Tuesday, Swayman certainly felt as though he had some backup out there with him as he entrenched himself in the crease.
"It was a pretty special moment, and I know that I wasn’t alone out there, so it was pretty emotional at the end," he remarked.
Already trying to compartmentalize and navigate the daily challenges and emotions that swell as a rookie netminder suddenly pressed into NHL service, Swayman was dealt a devastating blow on Friday afternoon. Red Gendron, his coach for his three seasons up at Maine, had suddenly passed away while playing a round of golf. He was just 63 years old.
The connection forged between player and coach — especially at the collegiate level — is often very strong. But for Swayman, the bond between him and the Black Bears coaching staff has been unshakable, with the foundations built back when Gendron and his staff first began scouting the Anchorage, Alaska native back during his days in the USHL over in Nebraska and South Dakota.
For Swayman, what made the recruiting pitch from Gendron and Maine's staff stand out was that it revolved more around things off the ice than the usual spiel doled out by coaches looking for new blood to inject into the program.
“It was funny, the conversation wasn’t even about hockey, really,” Swayman said of his first meeting with the Maine coaching staff. “It was about the great hiking trails at the University of Maine and all the great fishing spots around Orono. I don’t know if a lot of people know, but I’m a big nature guy. I love being outdoors, growing up in Alaska, obviously. And I just thought that struck home for me. … I just knew that this was going to be a special place and after my visit, seeing the campus and seeing all the great coaching staff and really getting to know them on a personal level — right away, I just knew that this was going to be a special place for me and it was a great decision.”
Swayman's praise for Gendron's program and the family-first foundation he built up in Orono was only matched by the praise poured out by his former bench boss for his star goalie. Even in the days leading up to his tragic passing, Gendron regularly waxed poetic of Swayman's journey to the NHL and what set him apart from other prized netminders in his class.
“In recruiting, if you can find athletes or players to recruit who love the game as much as you do as a coach or more — then you know they’re going to do the work,” Gendron said of Swayman. “And when it gets difficult, they’re not going to run and hide from the work. They’re not going to point fingers. They’re going to dig in and get after it. So we knew he was athletic. And we also had a pretty good sense right away from talking to him. Of course, you know, we end up doing a whole bunch of homework beyond that, as every college staff does, but it was pretty clear early on that he was the kind of guy we want to bring into our program.”
Less than a week after Gendron's death, the pain has obviously not subsided with Swayman — nor will it in the near future.
“Obviously we all know how impactful Red was to the hockey community, especially my life. I loved Red so much,” a choked-up Swayman said Tuesday. “The things he taught me, I’ll have for the rest of my life. My heart reaches out to Jan, Katie and Allison (Gendron’s wife and two daughters). It’s a beautiful family that I consider my own. I’m just so grateful for the experiences I had with him. He’s definitely going to be a role model for the rest of my life.”
One of Gendron's famous sayings that Swayman echoed both this past summer and following his first career NHL victory remains at the forefront of the B's goalie's outlook moving forward: "You can't buy experience from Target."
While each new day brings a new gamut of emotions — especially following Friday's tragic news — Swayman is looking to remain poised and grounded, embracing some of the teachings conducted by Gendron in order to navigate his first foray into pro hockey.
“It’s one game at a time,” Swayman said. “It’s a pro season, and it’s my first one. I try to do whatever I can training-wise to prepare for it. ... I have to go in with an open mind every day and gain that experience, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Swayman certainly looked like a veteran during Tuesday's shootout — even with both Victor Olofsson and Tage Thompson charging in toward him. But the Maine product didn't budge, turning aside both shots from the Sabres' skaters to help Boston secure a much-needed two points.
When Tuesday's game ended off of a Jake DeBrusk shootout tally, Swayman immediately pointed up to the TD Garden rafters and the heavens above them — his own fitting stick tap to the man who helped set him on the path to where he is today — between the pipes of the Bruins' net.
It can be a lonely gig at times. But Swayman was far from it on Tuesday night.
