Bruins

Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman picks up his signature meal from this North End restaurant ahead of Game 6

Tresca’s “The #1” is the goalie’s go-to dinner the night before his home starts in net.

By Kaley Brown

May 17, 2024

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• Email
• 6

The Bruins are facing elimination once again, but their goaltender will be fueled up for Friday’s Game 6 thanks to perhaps his favorite local restaurant.

Jeremy Swayman stopped by the North End’s Tresca on Thursday night to pick up his signature dinner, a spread he eats each night before he starts in net at home for Boston: Chicken parmesan.

Tresca’s version of chicken parm isn’t any ordinary dish. It’s the restaurant’s “The #1” which is named after Swayman. The meal is dubbed by Tresca as the goalie’s “night before game favorite.”

Executive chef Richard Ansara shared a photo on Facebook of Swayman holding his carryout bag presumably containing Tresca’s “Swayman Special”, the restaurant’s famous chicken parm with angel hair pasta in a tomato vodka sauce. 

This particular spread was named after Swayman following his move to Boston. Swayman became a regular at Tresca the night before his starts at TD Garden and consistently ordered their chicken parm.

Ansara and Co. decided to put the meal on Tresca’s specials menu and change its name in honor of the goalie.

“[Swayman] came strolling in one day and we struck up a conversation and got to be great friends,” Ansara said in a video shared on Tresca’s X account last year. “The night before he’s in goal for the Bruins at the TD Garden, he always comes in for his chicken parm with angel hair and vodka sauce. So I said, ‘You know what? It’s such a great dish, I’m gonna put it on the menu, I’m gonna name it after you.’

“We call it The Number 1, and it got to be so popular, it’s on my specials menu. It’s staying there and it’s one of the most popular dishes on our menu.”

Swayman loves Tresca and his signature meal so much, he put the restaurant’s name on his goalie mask.

Swayman has been playing lights-out for the Bruins this postseason. Boston has started him over Linus Ullmark in 11 of the teams’ 12 playoff games. Swayman owns a .933 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average over that span.

With a little help from his dinner of choice, perhaps Swayman can post another season-saving performance to help keep the Bruins’ Stanley Cup hopes alive on Friday.