Brooks Orpik has done a lot of great things in his career, but he may have saved his most impressive accomplishment for last.
Tuesday, Boston College announced that Orpik completed his degree from the university 24 years after beginning his freshman year in 1998.
The two-time Stanley Cup champion defenseman posed for a picture while rocking his graduation cap. Orpik currently serves as an assistant coach for BC’s men’s hockey team and is a development coach for the Washington Capitals.
☑️ NCAA Champion
☑️ Stanley Cup Winner
☑️ @BostonCollege GraduateCongrats to assistant coach Brooks Orpik ’22 🤝 pic.twitter.com/r9IMgeKrXN
— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) May 24, 2022
The Capitals’ Dr. Aimee Kimball congratulated Orpik on Twitter saying, “It is no small feat for an accomplished @NHL player to return to school to finish a degree. Congrats to @Capitals Brooks Orpik for continuing to be a role model and leader and demonstrating the importance of committing to long term goals.”
Orpik is three years removed from retiring from his 15-year playing career in the NHL that included 10 full seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and five with the Washington Capitals.
Orpik revealed during his farewell conversation with the press in June 2019 that graduating was a major goal of his.
“I’ve started looking at some of the options [at Boston College],” Orpik said. “It’s a little bit easier. It used to be you had to do everything on campus to get your degree there now you can do online classes so it’s a little easier. That’s definitely, definitely in the works.”
Orpik spent three years (1998-2001) at Boston College before leaving after his junior year to sign with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Orpik spent his first professional season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL before graduating to the NHL in the 2002-03 season. Orpik went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Penguins and later with rival Washington after signing as an unrestricted free agent in 2014.
Headline photo courtesy of @BC_MHockey
