PITTSBURGH -- The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins returned home down 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals, Brooks Orpik had what's simply known as "The Shift": When the defenseman turned into a one-man wrecking crew, sending the crowd into hysterics.
Clearly, the Penguins need to change the dynamic of this series, and a brutal physical display against the Detroit Red Wings in Game 3 could be in order. Last year, Orpik said it was his responsibility to do just that:
"This time of the year you really want to make them pay. But like I said, that's kind of my role on the team. There's a lot of other guys that do the same thing. It's something we can just energize the team and crowd with."
Is Orpik ready for an encore?
"It crosses your mind ... quickly, you know?" said Orpik today at Mellon Arena after Penguins practice. "It was fun when it happened, and I don't know if it'll happen again. The opportunity was perfect."
Sometimes, he said, the chances just present themselves, like during a memorable Game 1 wallop against the Wings in the 2009 Finals: "Guys were saying to me after the first game, 'Oh, you couldn't wait to get [Marian Hossa], could you?' I didn't even know who it was, to be honest. Some games you don't even get any opportunities."
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What Orpik said he won't do is try to create a mythic moment like the one that happened organically last postseason.
"I think if you're a younger player, maybe you looking for that stuff again. As you get older, you learn that stuff has to come to you. If it does it does; if it doesn't, it doesn't," he said.
"As soon as you start looking for it, that's when you get caught out of position. And against a team like this, that's probably not the thing you want to do."
