Who Should Be Bruins' Banner Captain For Game 7 Of Stanley Cup Final?
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- In recent years, a rather organic tradition has developed at the TD Garden, as the Bruins have invited special guests to serve as banner captains before the start of every playoff game.
The list of invitees has included just about every living Bruins legend, as well as stars from the other teams in town. Accompanied by Special Olympians, each guest has helped get the crowd amped up as the giant Bruins flag makes its way around the lower bowl.
And considering that Boston will now host Game 7 of a Stanley Cup Final for the first time ever, you can bet there's going to be a lot of pressure on the team to knock it out of the park with the banner captain on Wednesday night.
Naturally, most people's minds have led directly to the greatest quarterback of all time and one of the most successful champions in sports history. That would of course be Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. The Bruins have already called upon Bill Belichick, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and David Andrews this playoff season, thus leaving Brady as the Patriot white wale, so to speak.
While getting Brady would be tremendous, it might be considered odd for the Bruins to go outside of their own sport for such a historic moment in Bruins history.
At the same time, most Bruins legends have already participated as banner captains this postseason. Bobby Orr's been there twice, while Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, Derek Sanderson, Marc Savard, and seven members of the 2011 Cup-winning team have all been present to wave a flag this postseason.
The white whale in that department would be Tim Thomas, who hasn't been seen or heard from in years. A reappearance at the Garden roughly eight years after recording a shutout in Game 7 to end a 39-year Cup drought? That would certainly bring the house down. (But it would just as certainly never happen.)
The Boston Globe's Kevin Paul Dupont offered up a creative solution, suggesting that the Bruins invite every possible legend from franchise history to spread around the building, instead of having everyone concentrated in one spot.
Outside of Brady and the Bruins, Boston's greatest champion remains Bill Russell. The 85-year-old has partaken in some pregame festivities at Fenway Park over the years.
David Ortiz would normally come to mind as a perfect option, but he is shockingly recovering from a gunshot wound. He will almost certainly be mentioned on the video board, giving Boston fans an opportunity to send him their best well-wishes.
If the Bruins were to invited any Red Sox greats, Pedro Martinez did serve in that role last year. Perhaps some more members of the '04 and/or '13 teams can partake, as both teams beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series.
For that matter, bringing together the 1970 Bruins, the 2001 Patriots, and those two Red Sox teams -- all of which defeated St. Louis for championships -- could really drive home the point. (Russell and the Celtics went 3-1 against St. Louis in the NBA Finals from 1957-61, too.)
Ultimately, the crowd that drops all that dough to be in attendance on Wednesday night will be amped up and ready to be loud for puck drop regardless of which Boston sports legend is tasked with waving a flag when neither team is even on the ice. Still, with such a historic moment about to take place, Game 7 presents an opportunity for a rather iconic pregame scene.
There's no wrong choice for the Bruins to make. Just a whole lot of right ones.
