‘Dinosaur’ defensemen like Orpik survive in NHL by adapting
By STEPHEN WHYNO
When John Tortorella compares Brooks Orpik to a creature that went extinct 65 million years ago, he means it affectionately.
“He’s a little bit of a dinosaur because he hits, and there isn’t a lot of hitting in this game,” Tortorella said.
Orpik, who helped the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup last season and played his 1,000th NHL regular-season game Tuesday, is certainly a rarity. Big, rugged, defensive defensemen are going the way of prehistoric animals, mask-less goaltenders, helmet-less skaters and enforcers, except the ones like Orpik who have adapted to keep pace with the speed of modern hockey.
“I think if you don’t adapt to where the league’s going, then you’re pushed out,” Orpik said. “If you weren’t willing to adjust how you trained or maybe shed some weight, that would push you out of the league . ... There’s that and there’s obviously more of an emphasis on being able to move the puck up quickly.”
NHL teams are looking for the next Erik Karlsson or Thomas Chabot, smaller, more mobile defenseman who can lead the rush and pile up the points. Slower, play-it-safe defensemen like 6-foot-7, 245-pound Hal Gill don’t roam the ice anymore, and those players must approach the game differently.
“I’ve heard people come up and say, ‘Hey, my kid plays just like you,’” Gill said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, you better change quick.’”
Tortorella, who coached Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004 and is in his fourth season with Columbus, sees value in big “miserable” defenders who can play a tough game. He believes the loss of that kind of player has contributed to an increase in scoring over recent years — which is what the NHL wants at the expense of old-school muscle.
Players like Orpik and St. Louis’ Robert Bortuzzo are far less prevalent than when Gill stayed in the NHL for 16 years from the late 1990s through 2013. Bortuzzo thinks the term “stay-at-home” doesn’t apply anymore; even slow defensemen have to do more than just sit back, hit and defend like they used to.
“‘Defensively conscious’ would probably be a better term nowadays and one that fits the game,” the 6-4, 216-pound Bortuzzo said. “At this stage of the game, you need to be able to join the rush, you need to be able to move pucks . ... The days of a defenseman not being able to skate and keep up with the pace of play is done. Guys are too fast and moving too quick.”
No one’s confusing Orpik, Bortuzzo, Vegas’ Deryk Engelland or Buffalo’s Zach Bogosian for speed demons, but puck moving helps those players stay in the NHL. Bortuzzo said his focus has always been on his skating, and similarly Orpik and Boston’s Zdeno Chara have worked with skating coach Adam Nicholas to adapt.
Even if they can’t get markedly faster, they can better manage their skates and sticks and use their size as an advantage.
“What I work on with those guys a ton is just always giving them good footwork-type drills and suggestions to allow them to still be able to control space and tempo,” Nicholas said. “What we talk a lot about is continuing to be puck-moving machines and how to always stack decks in your favor to have time and space, control it and transition pucks very quickly.”
Todd Reirden, during his time as a Penguins assistant, helped Orpik evolve from a hit-seeking missile to a defensive stalwart. Orpik began picking his spots for hits and using his stick more to defend.