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Former Penguin, Capital Brooks Orpik Announces Retirement After 15 Seasons

Description English: Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Thursday, April 7, 2016 at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. Date 7 April 2016, 17:29:32 Source Own work Author Michael Miller

One of the NHL’s grittiest defenseman is calling it quits after 15 seasons.

Brooks Orpik, the 18th overall pick of the 2000 NHL Draft, played 1,035 career regular season games between the Pittsburgh Penguins and most recently the Washington Capitals. Orpik finishes his career after 194 career points consisting of 18 goals and 176 assists. Orpik also ends his career as a two-time Stanley Cup winner, in 2009 with the Penguins and 2018 with the Capitals.

“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,” said Orpik in an interview with the Capitals. “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.”

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Orpik spent the first ten seasons of his career with the Penguins from 2004-2014. Orpik’s leadership became quickly evident as he became an alternate captain in 2008, just four years after making the NHL. Orpik’s leadership is one of the main reasons why the Capitals offered him a five-year, $27.5 million contract during the 2014 offseason.

Orpik’s veteran presence and leadership helped the Capitals capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. Orpik’s veteran presence was on full display during Game 2 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights when Orpik scored the game-winning goal to tie the series up at 1-1. It was Orpik’s first goal in over two years.

When asked about Orpik’s retirement, Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin said, “Batya was a great leader in our locker room and was so important for us to win our first Stanley Cup. We will miss his presence in the room and on the ice. Not only was he a great leader and a player, but he was a better person. I’m so happy I had a chance to play with him and for our young guys to have had the chance to learn from him. I want to wish him, Erin and his kids the best. We will miss him and the Batya protein shakes!”