Former-Black Bears To Play For Boston Teams Jeremy Swayman became the ninth former-UMaine hockey player to suit up for the Bruins when he made his NHL debut Tuesday night with a stellar 40-save win. That got me thinking. Who are the other former-Black Bears to turn out for Boston's pro teams? After many hours of research I've compiled the rest of the list, which includes eight Black Bears turned Bruins, four Black Bears turned Patriots and Red Sox and even the first-ever Black Bear to go pro in any sport, who played for the Boston Braves franchise in the 19th century.