Jeremy Swayman turns viral Olympic goal into a punchline

Jeremy Swayman didn’t hide from one of the most embarrassing moments of his hockey career on Saturday — he leaned into it. After helping Team USA secure a 6-3 victory over Denmark in the preliminary round at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the goaltender took aim at the viral goal in the middle of the ice that had the fans buzzing.

The play everyone was talking about came during the first period, when Danish defenseman Nicholas B. Jensen launched a 30-yard wrist shot that somehow beat Swayman high. Initially, Swayman received a lot of criticism online for allowing such a bad goal. The noise subsided somewhat when analysts pointed to the arena’s unusually dark boards and black Olympic signage as a possible explanation. Their thought was that maybe the puck had faded into the background.

Swayman wasn’t interested in that story.

When reporters asked if the dark signs contributed to the misunderstanding, he quickly said no. He explained, “No, it was a flash screen.” He added: “It was just the perfect height, right between the bleachers and the backboard level. I really lost it… However they go in, you have to step up and stop the next one.”

Then came a line that proved he had the ability to shake it off and roll with the punches. When a member of the media wanted clarification that it wasn’t the signs, he joked, “I’m color blind, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

Swayman ultimately decided to beat Denmark

It was a rough Olympic debut for the Boston Bruins netminder, who allowed three goals on 21 shots. But after the shaky start, he came into his own enough that the American attack took control and moved away.

Still, it was what people wanted to talk about, and his response spread quickly across social media. He did a good job of shifting the hate into a story where fans let go and made fun of it. If Denmark had won the match it would have been a different story.

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