Two Stanley Cups and 15 seasons in the NHL is enough or Brooks Orpik. The Capitals defenseman has called it career and announced his retirement.
Orpik spent the last five seasons with capitals and also won a Stanley Cup in one of his 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. This past season Orpik, who scored very few goals in his career, scored in overtime in the Capitals 4-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in game two of the playoffs.
“I’ve been extremely lucky to have the best job in the world for many years, but my body is telling me it is time to move on to something new,” Orpik said in a news release.
“I’m excited for more family time and to experience a lot of the things that being a professional athlete forces you to miss out on. Thank you to the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins for giving me the opportunity to play against the best athletes in the world. I’ll be forever grateful for the memories and relationships that hockey has given me.”
The Washington Capitals released this statement:
“On behalf of the entire Washington Capitals organization, we would like to congratulate Brooks on a terrific NHL career. Throughout his tenure in the league, Brooks epitomized leadership and hard work. He had a tremendous influence on his teammates both on and off the ice and was instrumental in helping us capture our first Stanley Cup. We thank Brooks for the impact he had across the organization and the Washington, D.C., community over the course of five seasons and wish him, his wife Erin, and daughters Harlow and Brooklyn all the best.”
Orpik was the 18th selection overall in the 2000 NHL Draft, but he returned to play one more year of college hockey. It proved to be a wise decision as Orpik helped Boston College to 2001 NCAA men’s hockey title before he launched his successful career with the Penguins.
WTOP’s Colleen Kelleher contributed to this story.
