Being willing to drop the gloves and fight at any given moment is an extremely difficult role to take on. Whether he does it to protect his teammates or change the momentum of the game, O'Brien embraces that aspect of what he brings to the team.
"That's definitely an area that I take pride it," said O'Brien. "It's part of my job, but I enjoy doing it. That's something in my game that's not going to change."
Having a player like O'Brien is important for molding a team's identity. While the timely fights and hits are great for entertainment purposes, his work ethic behind the scenes in invaluable toward building the culture the Coyotes organization is striving toward.
"When we talk about the change of culture and the kind of culture we want to have as a team, I think 'O.B.' fits right in," said Head Coach André Tourigny, who also coached O'Brien on the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies from 2011-13. "He's a great teammate. He has a team-first mentality, and no one has worked harder than him on or off the ice. You won't find anybody who has something negative to say about him, and I think we're a different team when he's in the lineup. He brings toughness, intensity, focus and urgency every game."
Having a good grasp of what his role it, O'Brien knows the importance of doing his part to ensure opponents aren't comfortable playing against the Coyotes. Moving forward, he's focused on getting better every day which will pave the potential to bring even more to team. Whether it be through additional offense, backchecking, making a difference in all three zones and continuing to gain Tourigny's trust to receive more opportunities, the rest of this season will be a little bit easier to do all that after getting his extension.
"I think when you have something like this figured out, obviously it removes a lot those questions from your mind," said O'Brien. "It allows you to just go out and play. The extension definitely helps."
