Caps’ Orpik calls his ban ‘fair,’ regrets ‘bad hit’

2:02 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — Brooks Orpik accepted his three-game suspension in a manner that’s rare among NHL players in his situation, saying Monday the league’s decision for his Game 2 hit on the Penguins’ Olli Maatta was “fair.”

“It was a bad hit,” the Washington Capitals defenseman told a huge media gathering. “It was intended to be a hard hit, definitely not at his head but I don’t think there is anything that you can argue that it was definitely late. I think that was pretty black and white. I said that during my hearing yesterday. So, I’m just disappointed. It’s a split-second decision you make and I just gotta live with it.”

“I’m just disappointed. It’s a split-second decision you make and I just gotta live with it.”

Brooks Orpik, on his hit on Olli Maatta

Orpik said he spoke to Maatta, his former teammate in Pittsburgh, after Game 2.

“He’s a pretty good friend so it made the situation a little tougher,” said Orpik.

Orpik, suspended for the first time since 2006, said he didn’t do too much to defend himself during his hearing Sunday with NHL’s department of player safety.

“There wasn’t much arguing,” Orpik said. “I told them it was a late hit and I knew that’s why I was having a hearing. I don’t know about an argument. There wasn’t much arguing. I obviously told them there was no intent there and there was no denying it was late. That’s pretty much all there was to it. That was the end result. I didn’t really know what to expect out of how many games; whatever they gave me was something I was just going to have to accept. That’s what we’re going to do moving forward here and hopefully across the league they start punishing everything else the same way.”

Brooks Orpik’s admitted Monday that his high hit on Olli Maatta …

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