The irony of someone named DeadPuckEra defending Orpik is not lost on me.
That being said. Orpik was an effective player for us until around 2011. From there his play just seemed to handicap us most of the time.
Bruh, you like the Pixies...
Thanks for supporting my point though. Absolutely was effective, and like every other player not named Lemeiux or Crosby (or the 91-92 players; Mario’s friends) - he was turned on and ostracized by a fair weather fan base.
You can absolutely reason that a guy can’t play hockey anymore. You can say the league has passed him by. It’s never that though with this town, there’s always some kind of scandalous gossip that has to be lobbed on the player. It can never be “he’s not a good fit” - or - “he may be done”... rather it’s borderline non-sense fit for the national enquirer. The media is usually the culprit, but yinzer nation is to blame for failing to recognize the pattern time and time again.
Now I’m not accusing you, or anyone in particular of being fair weather, I mean I don’t know you. It’s just that history repeats itself time and time again with this fan base. These players are worshipped until something pops up - then they’re the scum of the earth. Then all of the “stories start making their rounds”. Hell, this dates back to Alexei Kovalev and Robert Lang...
It’s a spoiled fan base. Maybe the most spoiled in pro hockey. Everything is taken for granted and it’s all about what you have done lately - hell - last week. Also, if you don’t cozy up the Pittsburgh media, they’ll go on their downlow PR campaign (rumors) against you until the yinzers start echoing the non-sense and you’re run out of town .
Look what’s already happening to Malkin. Forget the decade plus of brilliance - he hasn’t helped us win a cup in 2 years!! Lazy Russian, doesn’t back check, selfish, isn’t happy playing in Pittsburgh, causing problems with coaches...
And so what if these guys do or say some dumb shit from time to time. Some of you act like these guys aren’t human and are supposed to carry themselves to you, the fan’s liking 365 days a year. I find it “ironic” how someone took offense to my detailing of Crosby’s antics early on in his career - the whining, the nut punching, jumping guys off face offs, the cheap shit... all right in front of everyone’s eyes - and we’re piling on Orpik because of rumors, supposedly getting himself thrown out of a game to avoid being on the ice for an empty net goal, not liking Sid and playing too hard lol
We are calling Orpik to the carpet for not answering the bell to clean hits... but we’re giving Sid passes for spearing guys in the nutts, Bobby Clarke specials... and never answering the bell.
It’s not anything against Sid, I love Sid’s former nasty side. I think he’s turned in to a hell of a leader - but the hypocrisy that runs rampant about players around here is bewildering.
I haven’t read a solid point from any of the vitriol being spewed about Orpik in this thread. It isn’t even so much about Orpik individually as it is the constant character assassination of every player that falls out of favor in these parts.