Pens' Brooks Orpik Ready To Battle The Bruins
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) - The Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins and Pens defenseman Brooks Orpik previews the series with Ron Cook and Andrew Fillipponi on SportsRadio 93-7 The Fan.
Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara will be a Boston player to watch -- and at 6 feet 9 inches tall, he's hard to miss. Orpik has certainly kept his eye on Chara all season, and has high praise for him.
"He's a guy I think everyone admires," Orpik says of Chara. "It's hard not to. It's tough to compare anyone to him with the size advantage and the reach he has. I got a chance to skate with him a lot during the lockout in Boston, and he's a lot more skilled than you think he is. His skill level is off the charts for a guy his size."
While 41-year-old Jaromir Jagr has been quiet this post-season, Orpik knows the old star can still make noise.
"I think he's a guy you always have to be aware of on the ice," he said. "Even if he's not scoring, he usually opens up a lot of room for the guys he plays with. You watch the way he plays, especially at his age, it's pretty remarkable. I think we'll be well-prepared for what he does."
Boston fans may still feel jilted by Jarome Iginla for coming to the Penguins instead of the Bruins, but Orpik doesn't think any hard feelings will extend to the Boston locker room.
"I can't imagine it has much of an impact on their players," Orpik says. "They know who their team is, and that's an older, experienced team that has a pretty good idea of how to keep focus. I think that's more media-driven and fan-driven. That stuff also comes up when you have eight days between series and you run out of things to talk about."
Orpik also looks back at how the tone for the season was set during Sidney Crosby's lockout workouts, and looks ahead to returning to the city of Boston for Games 3 and 4.
