Jeremy Swayman has had a bounce-back season so far. He sits at 13-7 with a 2.67 goals against average and a .913 save percentage. However, that's not what he talked about when he appeared on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Wednesday.
There are many factors that could lead to the recent play of the Bruins, Swayman's play in net, Marco Sturm's vision for the team, or even just the power-play resurgence. This is not the same Bruins team that was in action just last year.
While on the talk show, Swayman talked about how things were different this year compared to last year and how it all felt like the team was clicking together rather than being all individuals.
What's the Reason?
Swayman on "The Greg Hill Show" talked about the Bruins' culture, saying how the locker room was something special this year.
""It doesn't feel like we are (captain-less). It's really special, actually to have guys that have stepped up, even without letters...It's allowed voices to be heard that necessarily wouldn't be heard. And our culture has really stepped up in that aspect of, anyone that's wearing the jersey has a say. That's something that we take really seriously and is really ringing true this year.""Jeremy Swayman on "The Greg Hill Show"
The Bruins this season had elected not to name a captain, going into a rebuild season with a new head coach. It seemed like a move that would end up costing them, but it seems like it was the right decision.
It is quite impressive how quickly strides were made in Boston to be able to be third in the Atlantic and sit 18-13, without having a captain. They elected to have David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Hampus Lindholm instead wear the 'A' on their jersey.
The message was echoed just the same before the season even started. It has never been about one guy holding onto the title. It has been about having the workings of a great team, and no great team has more than just one leader.