Brooks Orpik: Expectations Hurt Us
PITTSBURGH (KDKA 93-7 The Fan)- Former Penguin Brooks Orpik signed with the Washington Capitals on the first day of free agency.
Saturday he talked to Bob Pompeani saying that external expectations did bother the Pens.
"I think that's something that really hurt us," Orpik said. "Guys on our team had a lot of expectations for themselves individually and as a team. I think the problem that we had was we let the external expectations and pressure from outside our locker room creep in, and I think we had a hard time dealing with that."
Orpik made his debut in 2002-03, and endured a few seasons where winning did not happen frequently.
"Definitely endured some tough seasons there in terms of wins and losses," he said. "But I think the success that we achieved later on and then ultimately winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, I think guys like myself and Marc-Andre Fleury that have been through those years probably appreciated the success we had a little bit more."
Orpik told Pompeani that it will be a little weird to walk into the Capitals locker room.
"I don't foresee any problems or big adjustments going into that locker room. It's a group that I did a lot of research on as people before I signed there, and got nothing but good reviews," Orpik said.
