From the United States, Brooks Orpik played three years at Boston College, where he helped his institution with the 2001 NCAA Championship. The year before, he was drafted 18th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he would join after winning that coveted amateur accolade.
Orpik was a rock at the blueline, a traditional shutdown defenseman. He rarely scored or rushed the offense, and he was used on the penalty kill. This is hardly sexy, but great teams need this type of selfless players, and Orpik was that guy for the Penguins for over a decade. He would play there for over a decade, and he would help them win the Stanley Cup in 2009. After 703 Regular Season Games, he would sign with the Washington Capitals as a Free Agent in 2014, and he would help them win their first Stanley Cup in 2018.
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