Looking over 20 feet to his right, Brooks Orpik could sort of relate to what Tom Wilson must've been feeling Tuesday morning when the Capitals forward's locker stall was jammed with media.
It was two years ago that Orpik was at the center of controversy after his "excessively late hit" to the head of Olli Maatta left the Penguins defenseman concussed and him suspended for three games.
Orpik became public enemy No. 1 in Pittsburgh, a stunning reversal, considering he helped elevate the Penguins from the ashes of the early 2000s to Stanley Cup champion by decade's end.
But Penguins fans will always hold a soft spot in their heart for No. 44, a player who will probably one day be honored on the home team's locker room walls at PPG Paints Arena whenever the 37-year-old finally calls it a career.
Wilson, of course, will never be given such leniency here or, really, 29 other NHL cities. And that was before his devastating hit on Brian Dumoulin in the second period of Sunday's Game 2 in Washington.
But having been on the other side of it, Orpik says it's fans who are most upset with the hit. The guys who play the game at this level -- where 200-plus pound men throw their bodies around in confined spaces with sticks and pucks whizzing by their faces -- know that danger lurks at every corner. They know exactly what happened in Game 2, he said.
"I don’t think much of it comes from the players within the locker rooms, I think that’s driven outside," Orpik said. "That’s just this time of year, probably more viewership and more people looking at it more closely. But I think as players, most guys realize that stuff happens pretty quickly on the ice."
The danger, he added, is that some fans and media try to read into a player's intent.
"Most of these replays you have to watch them at game speed, not just these suspensions, any play that happens on the ice," Oprik said. "Guys are forced to make split-second decisions. To try and put it in slo-mo and analyze what was going through a guy's head isn’t fair."
Over at his stall, Wilson was explaining what happened on this play, just the latest controversy in the Penguins-Capitals rivalry:
"I think it’s important to keep in mind game speed," Wilson was saying. "It happens really quick. From my viewpoint, I’m skating ... it's unavoidable. It’s an unfortunate hockey play the way that (Dumoulin) gets hit. My intent there is to not get him in the head.
"I heard he’s doing well. That’s good. Hopefully we see him in the lineup. Just kind of an unfortunate play. No intent there at all. I was pretty shocked to see that replay afterward."
Wilson insists he's an "honest player," who plays a physical game. He was the second-most penalized player in the league with 187 penalty minutes even as he was posting career highs in goals (14), assists (21) and points (35).
But he says his reputation, which includes a four-game suspension for boarding earlier this season, has dogged him and he's consciously tried to tone it down a little:
"I play a physical style and that's going to bring more attention to that type of thing than someone who doesn’t finish checks like I do and play that hard type of hockey," Wilson said. "I've always prided myself on being an honest player, try and play the game hard, play the game the way it was meant to be played, the right way. I try and keep that element in my game no matter what role I’m playing."
When the puck drops on Game 3 tonight at PPG Paints Arena, Wilson said he is well aware that he'll be lustily booed every time he touches the rubber disc. He's gotten used to that, particularly in Pittsburgh, where he's faced the Penguins each of the previous two springs and lost.
"I've played my whole career with the other team maybe not liking me, but it’s the playoffs, the media likes to jump on this and make it a thing but I think both teams are worried about the game and worried about the two points," Wilson said. "That’s what maters."
Much the same sentiment was being echoed by the Penguins in the hours leading up to Game 3. Retribution wasn't high among their priorities.
"We’re just going to play the game," Mike Sullivan said.
Since Ryan Reaves was traded at the deadline, gigantic defenseman Jamie Oleksiak has been the Penguins' most consistent physical presence and the only threat in the fighting department.
With two potent power plays -- the Capitals are converting at a league-best 32.3 percent -- he says the key for both teams is to stay out of the box.
"I think you just have to be smart about it," Oleksiak said. "It’s an emotional game and a lot of things happen."