Best hockey player from each state

Jan 26, 2014; New York City, NY, USA; NHL former player Jeremy Roenick skates with youngsters on a miniature rink before the Stadium Series hockey game between the New Jersey Devils and the New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

California – Brooks Orpik

While the state of California has become known as “The State of Hockey” because they support three NHL teams, the sport still hasn’t quite caught on. That’s understandable because it’s a state with great weather. However, California has produced several NHL players. Their best one is Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik.

Orpik, known as a physical stay at home defenseman, has just 16 goals in 839 career games. However, he has been a staple for the United States in international competition, leading America in both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. Orpik won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2008-09 season. Ironically, the Penguins beat the Capitals on the way to winning the Cup.

While Orpik isn’t very productive, he is respected as a terrific guy in the locker room. He’s a great leader and young players gravitate towards him. Perhaps most telling of his influence is that young Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov refers to him as “batya”. In Russian, this means “dad”. While it is an informal name, it’s a tremendous sign of respect to be called batya.

Currently, Orpik has seen his playing time cut. He currently plays on the Capitals’ third pairing with Nate Schmidt. However, “batya” is still one of the NHL’s better penalty killers and has inspired a lot of youth in California to fall in love with hockey.

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