Brooks Orpik announced today that he's retiring from the NHL after 15 seasons. He played with the Penguins for 11 years and had some ups and downs.
Let's take a trip down memory lane. Brooks was the author of "The Shift" in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final where he crunched four Detroit Red Wings into the boards in 15 seconds.
In 2013, he accidentally wound up costing Sidney Crosby the Hart Trophy when his slap shot broke Crosby's jaw. This was during a stretch where the Penguins didn't lose a game in March.
Brooks did his best to make up for it in game number six against the Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that spring.
Orpik had just 18 regular season goals in 15 seasons, but scored a big one there to give the Penguins a series win.
Brooks was a member of the "X-Generation" Penguins and bridged the gap into the best era of Pittsburgh hockey. Hell of a career for a hell of a guy. He was a plus-17 for the Capitals in their Stanley Cup run last year. We can forgive him for that, right?