Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals is set for Thursday, June 6th at TD Garden in Boston. It’s a pivotal and important game for both teams with the series tied at 2. The Blues will be riding momentum after beating the Bruins 4-2 in Game 4. The Bruins, however, have shown they have the resilience to fight back after coming back from a 2-0 deficit in Game 1 and winning 4-2. They’ve also shown they can completely dominate by winning Game 3 in St. Louis 7-2. The Bruins will need the hometown crowd to participate, getting as loud and supportive as possible. One of the keys to their Game 3 win was scoring early and taking the St. Louis crowd out of the game. They weren’t so lucky in Game 4.
Crowd Involvement
The crowd needs to get into the game early. In fact, they need to get loud and rowdy before the puck drops. That’s a job for the Banner Captain. The role of the Banner Captain is to wave the Bruins flag shortly before puck drop to get the crowd going. For Game 1 it was a position mutually held by the 2011 Stanley Cup-Winning Bruins team. In Game 2 it was New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. So who should wave the flag as Banner Captain before the pivotal Game 5?
Could it be Brady?
The rumor mill is churning with heavy force in that regard. The overwhelming prediction is Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Brady doesn’t usually participate in other Boston sporting events due to his rigorous schedule. That said, if the G.O.A.T. showed up waving the flag the crowd would erupt on an epic scale. Brady’s already assisted Captain Zdeno Chara in a hype video before Game 1, and has actively participated in support of the Bruins via social media. If he were at the game in person it wouldn’t just be the fans with electric energy, it’d be the Bruins themselves. In the company of greatness a competitor always wants to push just a bit harder and execute just a bit better. One of the greatest players in the history of the NFL showing up at the Garden to represent the Bruins would be dangerous for the Blues.
Orr Someone Else?
If Tom Brady is unavailable the second most likely choice is Bruins legend Bobby Orr. Yes, he was already a Banner Captain during the series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but there are two things to keep in mind. First, let’s be honest, the Boston faithful never get tired of Mr. Orr. Second, in such an important game, tied against the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Finals, an ideal choice would be the man that scored the game winning goal against them in 1970. History and Bruins royalty make an electric combination.
There’s always the chance they go with another Boston sports icon. Rob Gronkowski, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez… frankly, the list could go on and on. But the Bruins will likely be looking to make a big splash with this one and, for the record, Tom Brady is currently participating in Patriots Mini Camp right down the road. Imagine him waving the flag while yelling his inspirational catchphrase, “LET’S GO!”
