For Jeremy Swayman, winning an Olympic gold medal on Sunday with the USA men's hockey team was a "childhood dream come true." The celebrations and receptions in the three days since then have been "incredible."
"It's incredible," Swayman said Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton after his first practice back with the Bruins. "It's starting to sink in now, the reaction that we've gotten from people in the U.S. the second we landed down, and just the outreach of family. A childhood dream come true. And the group that we did it with, especially the way we did it, it's an unbelievable feeling. An incredible feeling that we’ll cherish forever."
It hasn't been without controversy, though. The men's team came under criticism for inviting FBI director Kash Patel into their locker room postgame and for laughing at a comment by President Donald Trump, who phoned into the room to congratulate the team, about the U.S. women's hockey team, which also won gold.
"I must tell you, we're going to have to bring the women's team, you do know that," Trump said, adding that if he didn't, "I do believe I probably would be impeached."
Hilary Knight, captain of the women's team, called Trump's remark "distasteful" during an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter on Wednesday.
Swayman on Wednesday became the first men's player to publicly express regret over the way the team reacted to the comment, while reinforcing the two squads' mutual support of and admiration for each other.
"We should've reacted differently," Swayman said. "We know that we are so excited for the women’s team. We have so much respect for the women’s team. To share that gold medal with them is something we’re forever grateful for. And now that we're home, we get to share that together forever and see the incredible support that we have from the USA and sharing this incredible gold medal."
Fellow Bruin and U.S. gold medalist Charlie McAvoy was not at practice Wednesday and therefore was not available to media. He is expected to be back on the ice with the Bruins at Thursday's morning skate ahead of Boston's home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night.
UPDATE: McAvoy talked to reporters on Thursday and apologized for the men's hockey team's reaction to Trump's comment. Watch his full remarks here:
Jack Hughes, the overtime hero in Sunday's gold medal game win over Canada, said on Good Morning America Tuesday that the men's team is "so tight" with the women's team and "proud" of them, a sentiment that Knight echoed in her appearance on ESPN Wednesday.
"I think there's a genuine level of support there and respect," Knight said. "I think that's being overshadowed by a quick lapse. I think the guys were in a tough spot, so I think it's a shame this storyline and narrative has kind of blown up and overshadowing that connection and genuine interest in one another and cheering each other on."
Trump did ultimately invite the women's team to the White House and to Tuesday night's State of the Union address, but they politely declined, citing scheduling conflicts. Twenty of the 25 men's players, including both Swayman and McAvoy, attended. The five who didn't similarly cited scheduling issues or just a desire to get back to their NHL teams earlier.
"It was an incredible honor," Swayman said of the trip to Washington, D.C. "We all were there to represent our country, celebrate a gold medal for the United States, and that was something that we really embodied and were really grateful to be a part of."
During the State of the Union, Trump announced that fellow goalie Connor Hellebuyck would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, after stopping 41 of the 42 shots he faced in an incredible gold medal game performance. Swayman was in awe of Hellebuyck's play just as much as everyone else.
"Incredible," Swayman said. "He's the reason why we're here. He's the reason why we're champions. And again, it's so special to share that bond with him and the three boys that we had there. It's really a treat to share these moments with people like that, and obviously the way he played spoke for itself. So incredibly grateful that he stepped up for us, and obviously we get to celebrate that performance forever."
Swayman also had high praise for McAvoy, with whom he shared an emotional embrace after the win, citing everything McAvoy has been through in the last year – a serious shoulder injury followed by a serious infection last year, and then a broken jaw this season.
"It was a full embrace, man," Swayman said. "That man is the most deserving on that team. The adversity that he's been through, and just refused to get knocked down, and was a leader for us, and obviously his play spoke for himself. It was tears coming down, because I'm just so proud of him and his accomplishments and the way that he handled himself, and obviously got that win and was a huge factor for us in the championship game. So, I get to see it firsthand, more than most of those guys on that team, what he does every day for this team, for his family, for this community, and again, I couldn't be more excited to share this medal with him forever."
Now, though, Swayman knows he needs to refocus for the stretch run of the NHL regular season. The Bruins enter Thursday holding onto the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 25 games left in the regular season. The team closest to them, just four points behind, is Thursday's opponent, Columbus.
"It's something I'm looking forward to," he said. "Obviously, we got a job to do this next six weeks, so being back in the building was something I was looking forward to. Can't wait to get started."
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