Capitals' Orpik Has Hearing For Late Hit To Maatta's Head
WASHINGTON (AP) - Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik has a hearing Sunday with the NHL's department of player safety for his late hit to the head of Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta in Game 2 of their second-round playoff series.
Orpik was given a minor penalty for interference on the play 4:13 into the first period Saturday night. He is facing a potential suspension for Game 3 on Monday and possibly beyond.
"I thought it was a late hit," Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said after his team's 2-1 victory that tied the series. "I thought it was a target to his head. I think it's the type of hit that everyone in hockey is trying to remove from the game."
Sullivan said Maatta was "out," adding that the team would probably have a further update Sunday.
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Orpik doesn't have a rap sheet with the NHL but does have a reputation for playing on the edge. While the Capitals did not make Orpik available to speak to reporters after the game, coach Barry Trotz said he spoke with the defenseman about the hit.
Trotz relayed that Orpik thought the puck was coming back to Orpik and that he didn't intend to hit Maatta like that.
"He just finished on a hit," Trotz said. "There's a little size difference, and I think Maatta was leaning over a little bit. We'll let the league handle it."
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Orpik's hit on Maatta "looked bad right away."
"You can word it how you want," Crosby said. "It didn't look good."
Trotz defended Orpik's character and style of play while acknowledging that whatever the NHL decides, the Capitals will deal with it.
"If you know anything about Brooks, he plays hard, he plays clean," Trotz said. "He's not a dirty player. The Pittsburgh people know that. He plays the game hard but the right way."
The Penguins are familiar with Orpik's bruising style. It helped them go to the Stanley Cup final in 2008 and win it all in 2009.
Asked if Orpik plays any differently with Washington than he did with Pittsburgh, defenseman Kris Letang said, "Uh, no." Later in Game 2, Orpik knocked Letang's helmet off with a glove to the face after a whistle and continued to try to get under players' skin.
"It's part of the game," Letang said of Orpik's post-whistle antics. "I'm not there to judge about that. If they're going to let that go, it's fine. It's going to be equal for every team."
On Friday, the NHL fined another Washington Capitals player, Tom Wilson, for a knee-on-knee hit on Penguins forward Conor Sheary. The $2,404 fine was the maximum fine allowed.
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