Julian Edelman chugs beer to fire up Bruins Game 7 crowd

Julian Edelman chugged a beer on the jumbotron to fire up the home crowd as the Boston Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their playoff series.

The Boston Bruins may have gotten a little more than they bargained for when they invited New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman to be their honorary banner captain for the winner-take-all Game 7 of their first round NHL playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Knowing the fiery and energetic Edelman would be the perfect candidate for such an honor, the Bruins must have hoped he’d lend some of his infectious charisma and enthusiasm to their home crowd. What they probably weren’t expecting was for Edelman to appear on the jumbotron screen with a little less than five minutes remaining in the first period – and promptly chug a beer in front of thousands of screaming fans.

Edelman didn’t just put a beer can to his lips and swig it down in gulps either. He lifted it high above his upturned chin, stream-poured the beer down into his throat, and finished the contents of the entire can in a matter of seconds, before slamming the empty aluminum vessel to the ground in a spike that was almost Gronk-like.

The home crowd, predictably, lost their minds. And even some of the Bruins coaches and players took note, as well.

"“Julian Edelman chugging a beer was awesome,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters after the game. “Probably got everyone fired up — including us. Good for him. We’ll return the favor, at some point down the road… but I thought it was outstanding. That’s Game 7 playoff hockey for you, right there.”"

Edelman, along with the recently-retired Rob Gronkowski, have become somewhat standout favorites when it comes to celebrations and alcohol-infused celebrations. The two Patriots have created several must-see highlight moments over the years at New England victory parades through the streets of Boston – and recently made headlines when they collaborated on a practice swing at Fenway Park that resulted in a dinged-up Lombardi Trophy.

The Bruins beat the Maple Leafs by a final score of 5-1 to advance to the next round of the playoffs, where they will face the Columbus Blue Jackets in a series that begins Thursday.