FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, center, poses with Dick Patrick, left, team president, and Bill...
FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik, center, poses with Dick Patrick, left, team president, and Bill Daly, deputy NHL commissioner, after he was given a silver stick during a ceremony to honor Opik for playing 1,000 NHL hockey games, before the team's matchup against the New York Islanders in Washington. Orpik has decided to retire after 15 seasons and two Stanley Cup championships. The 38-year-old announced his retirement Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Orpik says his body is “telling me it is time to move on to something new” after 1,171 NHL regular-season and playoff games. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
FILE - In this April 13, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime of Game 2 of ...
FILE - In this April 13, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik (44) celebrates his game-winning goal in overtime of Game 2 of an NHL hockey first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes in Washington. Orpik has decided to retire after 15 seasons and two Stanley Cup championships. The 38-year-old announced his retirement Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Orpik says his body is “telling me it is time to move on to something new” after 1,171 NHL regular-season and playoff games. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik has decided to retire after 15 NHL seasons and two Stanley Cup championships.
The 38-year-old announced his retirement Tuesday. Orpik says his body is telling him "it is time to move on to something new" after 1,171 regular-season and playoff games.
Orpik won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2009 and Washington in 2018. The rugged blue liner was a respected leader in the Capitals' locker room the past four seasons. Teammates nicknamed him "Batya," the Russian word for "Dad."
The San Francisco native who went to Boston College was mostly known for his physicality and defense. But Orpik scored the Game 2-winning goal for Washington in the 2018 final on the way to the franchise's first title.
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