As "Dirty Water" and its chorus of, "Oh, Boston, you're my home," blasted through TD Garden after a 5-1 win over the Penguins Saturday afternoon, the Bruins went through their usual celebratory handshake and stick tap line, and it ended the same way nearly every Boston victory has ended for the last three seasons: with a goalie hug between Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman.
This goalie hug was not quite the same as all the others, though. It lasted longer, and Swayman could clearly be seen delivering some sort of message into Ullmark's ear.
About a minute later, Ullmark was announced as the game's No. 1 star, a well deserved honor after he made a season-high 38 saves. That also didn't feel like the usual No. 1 star announcement, as the fans still remaining in the stands seemed determined to deliver a little louder ovation than usual.
It was, in fact, different for Ullmark. It all meant a little more. A day earlier, there was a chance that Boston was not going to be his home any longer. There were rumors abound that the Bruins were close to trading him, and he was well aware of them.
"There's going to be some games you're going to take with you a little bit longer obviously, and I'm gonna keep it a little bit in the memory bank," Ullmark said of Saturday's win. "...I got emotional as well when Sway said all these nice words to me [during the hug]."
Ullmark neither confirmed nor denied that he utilized his no-trade clause to block a trade, something that ESPN's Kevin Weekes had reported Friday afternoon. It's possible the Bruins were talking to teams that weren't on his no-trade list, too.
"I'm just very happy to be here," he said when asked about that report. "This is the team that I want to be in. I'm very fortunate to be a part of this group. Ever since day one, I've loved it here, so I'm very happy with where I am right now."
Ullmark tried to not let all the trade chatter affect him. He tried to put on a brave face and go about his work this past week as if it was the same as every other week.
It was not a realistic goal. The reality is that Ullmark is human. He knew what was being said about him. He knew there was a chance his life would be uprooted before the end of the week. And in private moments, he couldn't help but get emotional.
"You try to act tough beforehand," he said. "You don't want to show anything. You don't want to show any emotions. It's kind of like in a playoff situation as well, but it is tough on players. And this is the first time I had to go through actually being rumored about. I've always felt safe.
"But then once it actually starts picking up more and more and more, you hear those outside noises. It takes a toll on you. And then there's the emotional part of it, and then you start thinking about your family, and then there's all these questions that you just don't have any answers to."
Ullmark said he had a "good conversation" with former teammate and Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron during the week that helped. He was also grateful for a "very thought-out text" from defenseman and current alternate captain Charlie McAvoy on Friday afternoon that "really hit home."
When 3 p.m. came and went and he was still a Bruin, Ullmark finally exhaled.
"I'm just so gosh darn happy," he said.
So were his teammates and coaches, especially after Saturday's lights-out performance. After praising Ullmark as their "best player" in the win, Jim Montgomery raised his voice and added, "Glad he's still a Bruin!"
The NHL is a business. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was handcuffed by limited cap space and limited assets to move at the deadline. Ullmark was a valuable chip. Had Sweeney traded him, it would not have been a sell-off, but rather a hockey trade made with the express goal of improving the Bruins now and moving forward.
But the NHL being a business works both ways. Ullmark negotiated to have that no-trade clause for a reason. If he did use it, he was well within his rights.
There is also risk in shaking up a team as dramatically as an Ullmark trade would have. Whether fans care about "chemistry" or not, players do.
"We have such a good group here," defenseman Hampus Lindholm said Saturday. "Sometimes you get too many guys and mess up the chemistry. I think we've got a good thing going."
Whether that "good thing" is good enough to make a deep playoff run remains to be seen. Despite having the second-best record in the NHL, the Bruins are not a betting favorite and do not look like the best team on paper.
But they're playing good hockey right now, having just wrapped up a 3-0-1 week that saw them hold four straight opponents to a single goal in regulation, with three of those games coming against top-five offenses in the Maple Leafs (twice) and Oilers. And they seem to believe in themselves, which sometimes is half the battle.
"We feel good about our group," captain Brad Marchand said. "We have all year. We added two tough pieces, two great guys in the room [Pat Maroon and Andrew Peeke]. … Very excited to have them, and I love our group. I feel very confident in it. Come playoff time, anything can happen. We have a group we believe in, and that's what's important."
For more Bruins talk, be sure to tune in to Sunday Skate with Andrew Raycroft, Scott McLaughlin and Bridgette Proulx, every Sunday 9-11 a.m. on WEEI 93.7 FM, WEEI.com, and the Audacy app.
