Bruins GM Don Sweeney hits back at Kevin Weekes' report
Which side is telling the truth?
HockeyFeed
It appear as though we have a bit of a situation in which we don't know who is telling the truth.
By now, you've heard of the Boston Bruins botching the fact that starting goaltender Linus Ullmark wasn't fully healthy for their Round 1 Stanley Cup Playoffs series against the Florida Panthers, whom the latter would ultimately prevail in seven games.
Backup Jeremy Swayman wouldn't make his first start of the series until the deciding seventh game in a move that has been heavily scrutinized as to why it wasn't made sooner by head coach Jim Montgomery. Boston's bench boss has essentially admitted that in hindsight, he would have made the move from Ullmark to Swayman sooner.
However, a report from former NHL goaltender and current analyst Kevin Weekes poured fuel on the fire in which he announced on social media that Ullmark was playing through a "debilitating" injury:
"Like all teams ; players grit it out to play through major injuries in the Playoffs," Weekes wrote on Twitter. "My sources tell me soon to be Vezina G Ullmark was playing through a debilitating & painful injury that limited his mobility and technique."
However, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is pushing back on Weekes' report, saying that according to team medical reports, Ullmark was fully healthy and was cleared to play while also implying that the report was more pertinent to the injury suffered by captain Patrice Bergeron.
"I will clarify that we get a medical report every day as an organization and who’s available to us, so the statement of ‘debilitating and painful injury’ might have been more pertinent to Patrice Bergeron and his injury,” Sweeney said. “Again, we get reports as to who’s available and Linus was fully available to play. He had something that was going on very very into the season but it had cleared up for him to play. Had it not been, we certainly would’ve made a different decision. We felt very comfortable all year with the rotation we had and had confidence in both goaltenders."
Even if Ullmark was declared healthy enough to play by the Bruins staff, it was obvious even from outer space that he clearly wasn't himself. Which side is telling the truth here? And if Sweeney's account is accurate, does this mean there was a mistake made by whomever wrote that Ullmark was fully available?
- Chris Gosselin
Amount of money Johnny Gaudreau’s wife will receive from the NHL after his passing revealed
- NHL News
- 3 minutes read
- Chris Gosselin
New details confirm how Gaudreau brothers found themselves at the collision site
- NHL News
- 3 minutes read
- Trevor Connors
A sickening update on Johnny Gaudreau's alleged killer
- NHL News
- 1 minute read