The Sunday Read: Swayman’s Special Feature on Stadium Series Mask

TAMPA –– Keith Robinson tossed a pair of tinted sunglasses over to Matt Falconer.

Falconer, the Boston Bruins’ assistant equipment manager, was about to open Jeremy Swayman’s bag and place the goaltender’s gear into his temporary stall at Raymond James Stadium.

Shades were needed.

“The bag was glowing when I opened it up, that’s how I knew they were in here,” Falconer said. “It is pretty bright, but I guess it’s fitting for Florida. The guys shooting on him might need sunglasses.”​

Swayman got to design a new pair of pads, gloves and a mask for Sunday’s Stadium Series matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he fully embraced the special-edition yellow the B’s are sporting on their jerseys.

“I don’t know – they let the colorblind kid choose his color scheme,” Swayman said. “I think it was a little brighter than expected, but I’ve gotten some pretty good feedback.”

It was Swayman’s mask, though, that might have been the biggest surprise. Apart from the Bruins’ Stadium Series logo, the bear-claw B and pirate ship details, the netminder added a nod to the equipment and training staff on the back – including Falconer and Robinson.

The sketch shows the group in a golf cart, with Swayman depicted as his nickname, a Bulldog.​

“That was pretty cool. Obviously, I wasn't expecting that. I didn’t know about it until today. It came in, and he kept saying, ‘Wait until you see my Stadium Series mask,’” Falconer. “It was a nice touch for us being on the mask.”

Swayman was excited to unveil the project when it arrived at Warrior Ice Arena on Friday.

“I mentioned that they were going to like the helmet. I didn’t tell them exactly what I was doing. I thought it was just a fun tribute to them,” Swayman said. “Obviously, everyone in here is super special to me – I wish I could put everyone on it. But this one was just special because I’ve golfed with all of them in Florida, which is a great golfing state.”​

Robinson – who has been the Bruins’ head equipment manager for 15 years, and with the team for 38 years – thinks it is a pretty even playing field on the golf course. Sunday will be his sixth outdoor game with the B’s and first Stadium Series. The work for Robinson and his crew starts long before the puck drops for the event.

All of the Bruins’ Stadium Series jerseys and gear had to first be delivered to Boston, where the equipment squad organized and packed it up. After touching down in Florida on Friday, Robinson and his staff piled into a truck with the team’s bags to the rink – or, in this case, football stadium.​

“We’re going into a new environment, we don’t know where we’re going, it’s kind of a whole different layout that we’re not used to. So it adds a little bit of time to get the lay of the land and figure out where everything’s going,” Robinson said. “We have to set up an equipment room, medical room, coaches, video – there is a lot of stuff. A football stadium is quite different than an NHL rink. But it all went smoothly.”​

When the players walked into their locker room for Saturday’s practice at Raymond James Stadium, it looked perfectly customized for them because of the behind-the-scenes work of Robinson, Falconer and their colleagues.​

“It’s obviously a little extra gear than normal, but as far as the unload, it’s a typical unload, just different equipment in a different location, that’s all. When you’re the road team, it’s a little easier because you’re just coming in and playing the game instead of the home team, you’re responsible for a lot more,” Falconer said.

“Being part of it is obviously special. I think any time you’re part of a special event like that, something that is a little off the normal routine, it’s really cool. Not everybody gets to do them. It’s a busy season, but it gives you something different to look forward to.”

Swayman’s fresh get-up sits in the corner of the room, next to Joonas Korpisalo, who opted for black pads with yellow stitching. His mask features a roaring bear on top, claw marks, his classic ‘KORPI’ across the front and a Finnish flag on the back.

“It’s exciting just because we’re able to express ourselves a little differently and really embrace the difference of this game – bringing hockey outdoors and how fun this is,” Swayman said.

Falconer and Robinson were all for Swayman’s creativity.​

“It was a nice tribute to the equipment staff,” Robinson said. “When we saw the helmet yesterday, we were like, ‘Wow, this is kind of cool.’ That was a pleasant surprise.”