If you ask a longtime Carolina Hurricanes fan who the most hated player in franchise history is, the first answer out of their mouth will be Brooks Orpik. Usually, there isn't a millisecond of thought put into that decision. He's the first player that comes to my mind, and I assume that will always be the case. It says a lot that the ire of a fan base follows you for over 20 years.
Orpik had one job, and to his credit, he was good at it. His role was to be the defenseman who drives his opponent into a wall or runs through them with his shoulder. Across his 16-year career, Orpik only had 194 points in 1,035 games with Pittsburgh and Washington. Meanwhile, he amassed almost 1,000 penalty minutes and likely had close to 3,000 hits, though hits haven't always been tracked.
The path to hatred began with one fateful night in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On March 4, 2006, the Hurricanes and the Penguins were operating at opposite ends of the league. The Hurricanes had the NHL's best record. Conversely, the Penguins had the NHL's worst record by a small margin. Still, one player managed to make this wild game one of the most memorable in franchise history.
The moment that made Orpik Public Enemy #1 in Raleigh
The Canes led the game 5-0 after the first period, thanks to two goals on the power play and a short-handed goal from Erik Cole. Pittsburgh pushed back in the second, scoring twice before Cole added his second of the game and 30th of the season. Pittsburgh scored once more in the second to sit three behind the Canes, and they got one early in the third, trailing 6-4 with under 18 minutes to play.
However, the trajectory of the Canes' season nearly took a turn with 14:42 left in the game. With Cole's back to the play, Orpik rode him headfirst into the boards. Orpik was handed 17 minutes of penalties, Bret Hedican came to Cole's defense and took a roughing penalty, and Cole broke his neck, sidelining him for over three months before he returned during the Stanley Cup Final.
From this moment on, Orpik wasn't allowed to play a game in Raleigh without hearing it from the fans. We can say what we want about the fans, especially during the dark days, but they never forget. Cole certainly didn't forget. Almost two years later, Cole dropped the gloves with Orpik for a spirited tilt. While it pretty much closed the door on this chapter, the hate for Orpik continued for years.
The Canes couldn't shake Orpik for years before getting the last laugh
When the Hurricanes and the Penguins met during the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, Orpik didn't record a point, but Pittsburgh won in a clean sweep, and he laid over four hits per game. It was another case of Orpik getting the best of the Hurricanes, and it was far from the last time that he'd have the Hurricanes' number. Still, the fans never let him forget what he did.
During those dark days between playoff appearances, there's not a lot to look back at, especially involving Orpik. However, there was one incident in 2012 that reignited the flame. Jeff Skinner, who'd missed over a month after suffering a concussion, was on the receiving end of an open-ice hit from Orpik on January 17, 2012, earning Orpik an interference penalty and making us hate him again.
With Orpik's time in Pittsburgh coming to an end in 2014, he made the move to the Washington Capitals. We fast-forward to the 2019 postseason, where the Canes and Orpik added another chapter. Orpik drew first blood in Game 2, scoring the overtime winner to double the Capitals' lead in the series. Little did we know that this story was coming to an end.
Given the history between the Canes and Orpik, it's almost fitting that the last game of his NHL career came in Game 7 of the 1st Round in 2019. The Canes ended Orpik's season and career with a double-overtime goal from Brock McGinn. It's probably an insignificant part of his career, but it's one that I'm happy that the Hurricanes can hold over his head.
Whereas the disdain for Scott Stevens in 2001 and 2002 was largely short-lived and condensed to those two playoff series, the hatred for Brooks Orpik will stand the test of time. He hasn't played a game in over seven years, yet he's still one of the most loathed opponents in Canes history. I'm not sure it'll ever go away as younger generations learn of the injustice done in 2006.
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