Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins enjoys his second visit to Maine.

Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins enjoys his second visit to Maine.

Falmouth, Maine — Jeremy Swayman smiled heartily when he spotted two admirers at the Falmouth Country Club’s tenth hole. The two men had their hockey jerseys sewn together, one from the University of Maine and the other from the Boston Bruins—all Swayman.

Swayman is back in Maine for the Drive Fore Kids golf tournament. He is currently a goaltender with Boston. Swayman participated in a laid-back round in the celeb-am section of the event on Friday morning. Swayman made stops during the round to meet and greet with fans, sign autographs, and take pictures. The former Black Bear goalie, who finished second in the Hobey Baker Award competition for college hockey’s best player in 2020, cherished every moment of it.

It seems like home to me. To me, it does feel like coming home. I always see both new and returning admirers. It truly is unbelievable. They never stop telling me stories about my time up there in Orono,” Swayman remarked.

Four years have passed since his final game at Maine, and Swayman has earned a spot among the NHL’s best goalies. In the 2023–24 regular season, he had the sixth-best save percentage (.916) and the ninth-best goals-against average (2.53) in the league. Even more so was Swayman throughout the playoffs. Following his regular season goaltending split with Linus Ullmark, Swayman started 12 of Boston’s 13 playoff games while recording a 2.15 GAA and a.933 save percentage.

Swayman, a restricted free agent this summer, has stated unequivocally that he would love to stay in Boston.

“I’ll let my agent handle it. I truly trust a lot of wonderful folks who are in my corner, Swayman stated. “It’s common knowledge that I want to be a Bruin for eternity, and I’m really looking forward to that. I’ll do everything within my power to make that happen.”

Swayman believes that his experience at Maine, where he played under the late Red Gendron—who passed away on April 9, 2021, a few days after Swayman made his Bruins debut—is the reason for all of his professional accomplishments.

Swayman was originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and it was Gendron that persuaded him to visit Maine. On a Sunday afternoon, Gendron took a plane to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the junior goalie’s home, to visit with him and his family. Swayman spoke with other large program coaches about playing time and preparing for the next level.

Not the Gendron. Swayman recalls it as the healthiest, most genuine, and honest talk he has ever had. His life was altered by the conversation.

“My goal is to improve you as a person,” he stated. You can image how my dad felt when he heard it. That’s different, I thought to myself when I heard it as well, Swayman added. Promises were never important to him. Opportunity was there at all times. What most strikes me about his statements is their honesty and general truthfulness.

After Swayman’s three years at Maine, the Black Bears were about to make their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2012. This was mostly due to his play in goal. However, the tournament was eliminated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Maine wasn’t able to return to the NCAAs until this past season.Even now, the pain remains from that ignorance. In terms of both hockey and life in general, that year was one of the best of mine, Swayman remarked.

Alfie Michaud, the goalie coach for Maine, and Swayman are still friends. At Maine’s final national title victory in 1999, Michaud was in the goalie position. Swayman mentioned that he likes to hear Michaud’s evaluation on the team during their at least weekly conversation. Swayman keeps close tabs on the Black Bears.

Swayman believes that his greatest improvement since leaving Orono has been on the mental aspect of the game. He is aware that on certain days the puck appears like a marble, and on others it resembles a beach ball.

“There’s always a positive outlook on things. What will happen to the save once you allow a terrible goal, or a goal in general? It is all that matters to me. The next save, the following shot at crucial junctures in the game that would propel my team to victory,” Swayman declared. “I think Red said something really great when he said, ‘You can’t buy experience at Target.” I’m currently doing it. I’ve been banking that experience for years. Construction is ongoing and ongoing.

Every summer, he makes an effort to visit Orono a few times. To meet up with Michaud and skate with some of the current players who are spending the summer on campus, he intends to travel in August.

I really enjoy handling the Alfond (ice). Returning up there is always beneficial, Swayman stated.

After finishing his round, Swayman spent fifteen minutes meeting fans and signing autographs while seated in his golf cart. It was humble, he remarked, to be among the most well-liked attendees of a golf event with celebrities from many sports and entertainment industries.

But when you get home, that’s what occurs.