Julian Edelman fires up Bruins crowd as banner captain

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was the honorary banner captain for the Boston Bruins ahead of Game 7 in their Stanley Cup Final.

There was rampant speculation that Patriots quarterback and Boston legend Tom Brady would be the one serving as the Bruins’ honorary banner captain ahead of their winner-take-all Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final, but as it turned out, it was Brady’s go-to target and favorite receiver who ended up in such a role.

Julian Edelman – who chugged a beer on the jumbotron to fire up the Bruins’ home crowd in a previous Game 7 of their playoff path back in April – returned to TD Garden Wednesday night for the final game of the 2018/2019 NHL season. Along with Aly Raisman and Liam Fitzgerald, Edelman starred as an honorary banner captain before the game action got underway… and he made the most of his opportunity, as one would expect.

Edelman waved a yellow rally towel, screamed “Let’s go!” over and over, and generally pumped up the crowd with endless ounces of energy and enthusiasm.

Notably, he made his appearance donning a David Ortiz Boston Red Sox jersey. Ortiz was shot last Sunday in his native Dominican Republic, and has since returned to Boston where he has undergone surgery and other medical procedures to heal his wounds at Massachusetts General Hospital. Edelman sporting Ortiz’s iconic jersey was a classy move, and the perfect way for one Boston sports icon to honor another at a major Beantown event.

The Stanley Cup Final is tied between the Bruins and the St. Louis Blues, with each team having won three games in the series. Game 7 got underway around 8:30 pm local time approximately. The Blues are seeking their first Stanley Cup championship, while the Bruins are vying for their seventh in franchise history.