Bruins

Linus Ullmark plans on retiring goalie hug as time with Bruins ends 

"The goalie hug that we had in Boston, that's for me and Sway only."

By Conor Ryan

June 26, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 3

The post-victory embrace between Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman on the ice quickly developed into a cherished ritual for the Bruins over the past three seasons.

But don’t expect that routine to carry over to Ottawa now that Ullmark’s tenure in Boston has come to a close.

In his first official media availability with the Senators on Wednesday, Ullmark was asked if he plans on carrying out a similar tradition with his new goalie partner, Anton Forsberg. 

“I’m not going to bring it to Ottawa,” Ullmark acknowledged. “The goalie hug that we had in Boston, that’s for me and Sway only — and that’s out of respect for what we had and what we built through our years together and the respect and love and admiration that I have for him. 

“There’s certainly — I’m not gonna say we’re gonna come up with something new or anything like that. There’s always been the celebrations after winning games. So, we’ll see what happens. Who knows? Maybe there’ll be a dab or something. But I’m not gonna try too hard to come up with a new thing or something like that. I’m just gonna have to let it play out naturally.” 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Linus Ullmark (@lullmark)

Ullmark developed into one of the best goalies in the NHL during his time with Boston, winning the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder for the 2022-23 season. But with Swayman’s ascension as Boston’s franchise goalie — coupled with his pending pay raise — the writing was on the wall that Ullmark’s time in Boston was coming to a close this summer.

Boston traded Ullmark to the Senators on Monday, with Boston acquiring the 25th pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, forward Mark Kastelic, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in return. 

Ullmark acknowledged that getting traded comes with the territory in the NHL ranks. 

“I mean, it’s a part of the job. There’s always a time in your life or in your career when you’re up on the trade market or anything like that. And it’s just purely business,” Ullmark said. “Once you start something, you always want to finish it.

“But at the same time, new opportunities present themselves from these sort of things. So I would have loved to have won in Boston, but at the same time now, I’m as excited and looking forward to having the same opportunity, but in Ottawa and with the fellas there.” 

While Ullmark will try to put a young and unproven Ottawa team over the top in 2024-25, he offered more glowing reviews of the Bruins on Wednesday — especially when it came to Boston’s longtime goalie coach, Bob Essensa. 

“Goalie Bob is a special human being in all the right ways,” Ullmark said. “He is a terrific guy. He is a special human being and he brings a smile to my face every time I see him, whenever I’m around him. We’ve had our conversations and discussions throughout the years, but there’s never been any bad blood and we’ve always had a good understanding of what needs to be done.

“And I’ve enjoyed every single moment together with him and I have a lot of gratitude towards Bobby. And I’ve said it before — and I really do think that goalie coaches should be available to be selected into the Hall of Fame. And I think he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer in that regard.”

While Ullmark’s presence between the pipes should bolster a Senators team that sported the second-worst team save percentage (.884) last season, it remains to be seen if he plans on sticking around in Ottawa for the long haul. 

Ullmark, who will hit free agency next summer, did not agree to a contract extension with Ottawa as part of Monday’s trade, which likely hampered the overall return that Boston received from the Senators. 

For now, Ullmark seems focused on other priorities first before revisiting contract talks with the Senators. 

“My biggest concern right now is finding a place for my family to live in and finding schools for my kids and getting to know the people in Ottawa. … So the whole contract situation and talks about that, that is something that (Ottawa GM) Steve (Staios) and my agent will deal with off to the side. 

“And I told him as well that once there’s something that needs to be discussed, you can always reach me … So that’s the situation right now. And I try not to look too far ahead, I try to stay in the moment and not worry about what may be or what could be in the future and instead just enjoy the present.”