BRIGHTON, MA – The jubilant smile was constant and beaming on Jeremy Swayman’sface as he waxed philosophic about being a gold medalist at the 2026 Winter Olympics in the friendly, comfortable environs of the Warrior Ice Arena dressing room after Wednesday’s return to his B’s group.
It didn’t matter that Swayman had landed back in Boston in the wee hours of the morning and had little sleep before suiting up for Wednesday’s team practice ahead of Thursday night’s season-resuming game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden. The game on Thursday night, by the way, is one that Swayman is looking to participate in after serving as the Team USA backup netminder for all but one game in the Olympic tournament while watching Connor Hellebuyckplay the hero’s role for the Red, White and Blue.
“Oh yeah, I can’t wait to get back,” said Swayman. “I’m excited to get started and whenever my name is called, I will be ready to go.
“The whole Olympic experience [was the highlight]. Really just embodying what it means to be a USA Olympian and [being] so proud to represent our country on the biggest stage wearing the USA colors every single day.”
And it didn’t dampen his spirits when he became the first member of the USA men’s hockey team to admit on Wednesday that the group of hockey players “probably should have reacted differently” to an ill-conceived joke from President Donald Trumpabout the women’s team while on a call with the gold medal men’s team in the jubilant, victorious locker room immediately after the epic win.
"The joke was distasteful and unfortunate...Now I have to sit in front of you...and explain someone else's behavior. It's not my responsibility." - @TeamUSA captain and Torrent forward Hilary Knight on the call and joke by President Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/JgKz18fzi1— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) February 26, 2026
“We should have reacted differently,” said Swayman, of the group reflexively laughing while the President poked at the women’s team. “We were so excited for the women’s team and we have so much respect for the women’s team. To share that gold medal with them is something we are forever grateful for.
“Now that we’re home, we get to share that together forever and see the incredible support we have from the USA in sharing this gold medal.”
It's a pretty clear line of distinction that Swayman didn’t apologize, but instead – like so many of us in the heat of the moment – wished in hindsight that he had acted differently in a split-second moment amidst the adrenaline-fueled environment following one of the pinnacle moments from his entire hockey career.
Lost amidst the whole public discourse is just how closely the men’s and women’s hockey teams rooted for each other, and essentially lived and trained together, during the two-week Winter Games in Italy. And at the end of it all, both teams won their third gold medals in the history of their respective hockey programs with USA Hockey.
“Plenty of us have crossed paths with [the US women’s hockey team] during our college careers or with their professional league too, and we were so excited for them to win and to get it done first,” said Swayman. “Seeing them in the dining hall and sharing the victories with them is something we will cherish forever.”
It will be interesting to see what the Bruins might have in store for Swayman and Charlie McAvoy in any kind of pregame presentation as everybody saw with gold medal OT hero Jack Hughes in New Jersey on Wednesday night, a celebration that Hughes graciously waved visiting Sabres forward Tage Thompsonover to enjoy with him as USA Hockey teammates forever linked together.
Jack Hughes brought out Tage Thompson and spoke to the New Jersey crowd in his return to the NHL after they brought home the gold medal 👏 pic.twitter.com/4p1bBMKRns— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 26, 2026
It’s all part of the whirlwind process for the Olympians after winning the first gold medal for men’s hockey since the Miracle Crew did it back 46 years ago at Lake Placid.
“It’s incredible. It’s all starting to sink in now,” said Swayman. “The reaction from people in the US since the minute we landed down [in Florida] and just the outreach of families, it’s been a dream come true especially with the group that we did it with and the way we did it. It’s an incredible feeling that I will cherish forever.
“I was with the best players in the world every single day, and when we were in the village we were in pretty tight quarters. I think our decision to stay in the village is why we won. The whole Olympic experience. Keeping that close-knit, tight bond we were in the dining hall together, playing cards and obviously at the rink together too. It really bonded us and the experience I took from it was staying as focused as you possibly can, being professional in everything you do and performing on the ice on the biggest stage.”
It will be interesting to see how the Olympians, particularly the guys that went all the way to the medal games at the very end of the tournament, assimilate back into the NHL schedule, and just how ready to go they’ll be when the bell sounds on Thursday night. Players like McAvoy and David Pastrnakwill absolutely need to be watched a bit closely for wear and tear after shouldering heavy playing loads for their respective countries.
But the good news for the Bruins is that many of their Olympians, like Swayman and both Elias Lindholm and Hampus Lindholm, played sparingly for their respective countries and that means there should be plenty in the tank for the Black and Gold amidst the six-week sprint to the end of the regular season.
Swayman was not a central figure for Team USA in their gold medal victory while admirably playing his team role, but that all changes now for a Bruins group that will need him to be every inch of the champion he now is, twice over after last spring’s IIHF world championships with Team USA, after his team’s golden moment in Milan Cortina.
