Author's note: This article originally appeared on 985TheSportsHub.com...
If you’ve ever walked down a Boston street and wondered if that was Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman who just zoomed by you on some rollerblades, the answer is almost certainly yes.
But on Sunday, Swayman went with a different set of wheels, as he hopped on a bike and took part in team relay race in the 2024 Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon.
“In Alaska, there’s a ton of racing events, whether it’s triathlons, marathons, mountain races, so I grew up in this community,” the always-smiling Swayman, whose mom was a cyclist, told me following a rainy ride in Southie. “I’ve been able to be pretty tight with it in Alaska and I haven’t been able to tap into it in Boston, so meeting [Boston Triathlon president] Michael O’Neil, it was a pretty organic friendship that we formed right away, and he was gracious enough to allow me to come out and compete.”
And while it was easy to lose sight of Swayman in a sea of determined athletes absolutely emptying the bucket in front of friends and family in what was a weekend-long event at Carson Beach, it was just the latest excursion in what’s been the Summer of Sway, with Swayman in Boston all offseason long.
“I think the biggest thing that I wanted to accomplish this summer was obviously to get really good training in and really be able to tap into the community as much as possible,” Swayman, whose relay team in this year’s Boston Triathlon also included Human Powered Health co-founder David Wichmann, said. “They’re so good to me and, being here year round has been really special. Doing events like this, being able to come out and do different running events. But that’s something that’s my way of being able to pay it forward and show my love for the community.”
Being in the city all summer (Swayman called his decision not to go home this summer a ‘tough one’), all Swayman needs to truly be in his new home is a new contract from the Bruins. And that’s something that the 25-year-old doesn’t seem to have any worries about, even with talks dragging on into mid-August.
“I do love it [in Boston], and that’s all I can control, and I know that,” Swayman told 98.5 The Sports Hub. “I have complete trust in my agent and I know that it’s going to get done eventually.”
And Swayman, for what it’s worth, has been skating and working at Warrior Ice Arena whenever possible (that includes tomorrow morning even after participating in the Boston Triathlon, by the way). And even without a deal official, he’s been working closely with Bruins head performance coach Kevin Neeld and assistant performance coach Tim Lebbossiere on a regular basis. And when Warrior has been unavailable or those guys have been busy, Swayman has worked with Ken Whittier at Boston University.
“I knew that if I wanted to be an elite level goalie, I need to train year round at an elite level, and Boston has that,” Swayman told me. “And that’s something I’ve been attracted to with Boston and being able to tap into the community more and more every year, and I feel more engrained in this community.”
Given the uncomfortable nature of last year’s arbitration hearing between Swayman and the Bruins, and the way it was brought up multiple times during the 2023-24 season, I wanted to know how the relationship was and if Swayman himself was in a ‘better place mentally’ now than 2023.
“I am,” Swayman told me. “I believe that experience is the key to it all and going through things.
“I’m getting just as much experience right now as I did last year, with different ways of it all. And we know, it’s a business. It’s unfortunate at times, but I know I’m gonna be playing hockey at the end of the day. And I really hope with it’s the Boston Bruins.”
When asked if he’s focused on a long-term deal and avoiding a ‘bridge contract’, Swayman opted not to get into specifics, and instead said that that was a question for his agent.
“Right now, I’m focused on being a triathlete,” Swayman quipped.
But as he had made clear from the jump, Swayman cannot (and truthfully does not want to, from both the sounds of it and his actions this summer) envision himself playing anywhere else.
“And I’ll tell you what, man, when I’m on that Garden ice, there’s nothing more I wanna do than save pucks for this city,” Swayman said.
Now comes seeing if Sunday’s cycling run helps him in what’s become a triathlon negotiation of sorts.
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