There isn’t much, if anything, Brooks Orpik hasn’t experienced during his life in hockey, from prep school and college and all the way through 1,000-plus NHL games and two Stanley Cups.
A year and a half after retiring as a player, the 40-year-old Orpik is sharing what he’s learned with the players at his alma mater, Boston College, where he is in his first season as an assistant coach on Jerry York’s staff. And he’s looking to learn a few things himself.
“For me there was always some curiosity at (the college) level, how things run. I have a pretty good feel for how it runs at the pro level from doing some things there, but it’s definitely a lot different,’’ said Orpik, who also works in player development for the Washington Capitals.
“It’s been a lot of fun. I live pretty close to (former BC star and assistant coach) Marty McInnis, golf with him a little bit during the summer, so he had kind of given me a head’s up and told me how much he enjoyed it. I think he’d done it for seven or eight years. He really enjoyed it, mostly just because of the kids and the type of kids that go through there. It keeps me involved.’’
Orpik (Cohasset, Mass.) was a rugged defenseman, but he’s not limiting himself to talking about that part of the game in his interactions with BC players.
“I definitely have more knowledge there, but different things I’ve gone through in my career, I think it’s applicable to the kids here. A lot of those aren’t just hockey things, it’s just going through life. When you get kids at that age, they’re all very, very impressionable and very young, so I just try to fill in any blanks or holes that are there. It’s obviously a really good coaching staff so I kind of try to walk that line and not step on anyone’s toes, but try to apply things here and there,’’ he said.
While playing for York, Orpik was a member of BC’s 2001 team, which won the school’s first national title since 1949. Drafted in the first round by the Penguins, he played on their 2009 Stanley Cup championship team. He finished his career as a member of Washington’s Cup team in 2019.
“Jerry always kept in touch with me after I was out of there. For a while I’d go back there, whether it was taking a class or working out during the summers. The thing I’m completely blown away with, yes, it’s been 20 years since I was there, but he really doesn’t seem like he’s changed one bit to me. I mean that in the best way possible.
“He’s always trying to bring new drills and new things that have evolved, hockey-wise. In terms of just the individual, he’s really the exact same guy as I remember him 20 years ago. His energy level and positivity, on a day-to-day basis, I mean, if I can get 50 percent of that I’d be happy. It’s crazy. And it’s contagious, too. I know the kids marvel at it. It definitely rubs off on the whole group,’’ Orpik said.
“He sees the big picture. He’s really good at taking things from every single experience the team has. It could be a bad experience or a bad game, but he will find the one positive you can take from it. It’s a crazy quality, but it provides a really good balance to the coaching staff.’’
The game is changing all the time, Orpik says, and it’s a challenge for coaches to keep pace.
“Jerry’s always picking the brains of other coaches at different levels. He’s always trying to keep up with where the game is going, especially at the pro level, and trying to bring that down to the college level, to be competitive and to prepare the guys he has for when they do move on.’’
After almost two decades as a pro, Orpik said he’s enjoying the “purity’’ of college hockey.
“There’s obviously not salaries involved. It’s a lot less cutthroat than the pro game. It’s funny, too, because a lot of the younger guys now, the younger generation, they always look ahead and want everything right now. They kind of overlook the present. Hopefully, guys know how good they have it.
“I think a lot of people would tell you, looking back on their college hockey days, that’s the most fun you’ll have on a team and the most fun playing because of the purity of it. You’re living together, you’re around. You’re not married, you don’t have kids.
“At the pro level, it’s a great lifestyle but, also, you’re done with practice and guys scatter. Everyone goes in their own direction and you’ll see each other the next day at the rink. It’s a lot different. That’s the thing that you hope the kids realize, how good they have it here, and hopefully they enjoy it.’’
Commesso makes his mark
Boston University has won five straight, and freshman goalie Drew Commesso (Norwell, Mass.) has played a major role.
The Terriers didn’t play their first game until Jan. 8 against Providence College. It didn’t go well. BU took a 3-1 lead in the second period, then gave up six straight goals in a 7-3 loss.
Commesso watched the last 12 minutes from the bench after being peppered with 38 shots and allowing six goals.
“Our first game, for a lot of us, was knocking a lot of rust off. We’d only had a few practices before then,’’ he said. “Most of us hadn’t played a real hockey game in 10 months.’’
He and the Terriers turned the tables the next night with a 6-4 road win against PC and they haven’t looked back.
Commesso, who has a .917 save percentage to go along with his 5-1 record, was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week this week.
“I feel like I’ve gotten more and more comfortable really every period and every day. That’s what you want to happen, get better every time you step on the ice and every time you play a game. I think the team has done that, as well,’’ he said.
Commesso, who was drafted in the second round by Chicago last fall after two years with the National Team Development Program, has hit it off with BU goalie coach Bobby Goepfert.
“He’s been great. I like that he’s a younger goalie coach. He just recently came out of playing. He’s a really relatable guy, even off the ice, too. Whenever I need anything, I know that I can text him. Whatever I need, he’s been there for me. I can’t say enough good things about him,’’ he said.
Commesso is also enjoying playing behind dynamic defenseman David Farrance, who has put up a 4-10-14 line in just six games.
“He’s a special player, that’s for sure. In my opinion, he’s the best player in college hockey and he’s showing that,’’ he said.
Wildcats keep fighting
Injury-riddled New Hampshire had lost five straight going into Saturday’s game at Merrimack.
But the Wildcats dug deep, coming from behind twice and killing a major penalty in the final five minutes of regulation time to earn a tie, then taking home an additional point by winning the shootout.
“It goes down as a tie in the books, but you certainly wouldn’t have known that by the reaction in our locker room. It was like a big sigh of relief to get an extra point. The guys worked hard. We’ve been through a lot of adversity here in the last stretch,’’ said coach Mike Souza (Wakefield, Mass.) in his Zoom call on Tuesday.
Better health is ahead for New Hampshire as injured players are returning soon. “We had the closest thing to a real practice (Tuesday) that we’ve had in an extended period of time,’’ said Souza.
Ottawa draft pick Angus Crookshank should be back on Friday against PC. Cam Gendron (Hampstead, N.H.) might be available the following weekend and captain Charlie Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) will be back on the ice soon.
“We were looking at a situation where (Kelleher) might not have been available to us for the rest of the year, so that was really good news that his MRI came back favorable for us and for him, obviously,’’ Souza said.
