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Brooks Orpik is not all that thrilled with Jaromir Jagr

Dallas Stars v Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 11: Brooks Orpik #44 of the Pittsburgh Penguins warms up in a camouflage jersey to honor Veteran’s Day before a game against the Dallas Stars on November 11, 2011 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

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Tonight’s Penguins-Flyers game in Philly is going to have its fair share of heat attached to Maxime Talbot, but Jaromir Jagr’s presence on the Flyers bench is sure to bring about some ill feelings. One of those guys that’s not exactly pleased with Jagr is Pens defenseman Brooks Orpik.

Orpik, the physical leader of the Pens defense, was asked by Pens beat writer Josh Yohe if he was surprised by Jagr’s decision to join the Flyers and how he shunned the Penguins to sign with their cross-state rivals. Orpik answered rather curiously.

“With that guy, you never know,” defenseman Brooks Orpik said. “With his personality, I wasn’t shocked that he went to Philly.”

Well that’s interesting. What sort of personality might that be? One that saw Jagr go from Pittsburgh to Washington to New York to the KHL and now to Philly? It’s as if he’s trolling the Penguins personally. Orpik went on to say that the Jagr-hysteria that surrounds these teams is more of a thing for the fans than anything pointing out that he played in just one training camp with Jagr.

As it is, Orpik says he’s happy things turned out the way they did, and why not? The Penguins already had a great roster and while Jagr would’ve made them other-worldly, they’re still a Stanley Cup contender. Orpik’s dislike of how Jagr does business, however, makes you wonder how they’ll go after him.

The hype for tonight’s game is a bit diminished thanks to Sidney Crosby being out of the lineup. When these two teams get together on December 29 in Pittsburgh, however, buckle up.