Washington Capitals ahead T.J. Oshie introduced his retirement from the NHL throughout a fan-event on Monday. Oshie will shut his profession after 16 seasons and 1,010 video games within the league.
He spent seven of these seasons with the St. Louis Blues and 9 with the Washington Capitals. That features serving a outstanding position with the Capitals on their run to the 2018 Stanley Cup championship.
Information of Oshie’s retirement will likely be bittersweet for the Capitals fandom. The veteran ahead has been a pivotal piece of the Capitals’ top-six via a lot of the final decade, however seemed notably worn via the ultimate few years of his profession.
His battle scars culminated in lacking the whole thing of the 2024-25 season as a result of a persistent again damage. The story of the damage was lined extensively — revealed to be the results of taking part in via a damaged foot for 44 video games of the 2021-22 marketing campaign. He broke his foot in October of that season, and spent a lot of the remaining 12 months in a strolling boot or on crutches as he tried to push via the ache.
Straining via a damaged foot took a toll on Oshie’s core and again. He underwent surgical procedure to handle these considerations within the 2023 offseason. Initially supposed to delay his profession a number of extra years, Oshie was solely in a position to tack on another season earlier than he needed to exit the lineup once more final summer season. The battle with accidents pressured Oshie out of 92 video games between 2021-24.
Oshie nonetheless discovered methods to learn the Capitals’ lineup via reoccurring accidents. He scored 12 targets and 25 factors in 52 video games of the 2023-24 season — or an 82-game tempo of 39 factors. Earlier than that, he managed a powerful 19 targets and 35 factors in 58 video games of 2022-23, on tempo for 27 targets and 49 factors throughout a full 12 months. He continued to fill a sturdy position on the workforce’s second line and powerplay items via these campaigns.
Washington struggled immensely to fill his right-wing position via his routine absences. It was Oshie’s absence that pressured the Capitals to lean on Anthony Mantha from 2022-24, then swap to Anthony Beauvillier at this 12 months’s commerce deadline. The pair supplied blended outcomes that seemed cold and hot in comparison with Oshie’s steadfast influence in his wholesome video games.
It’s in that spirit that Oshie’s profession will likely be remembered. He was a set-and-forget lineup piece for all through his whole profession, offering constant goal-scoring and big-game capacity from the second-line for each golf equipment he performed for.
Oshie was seen as a particular participant from the onset of his profession. The Blues drafted him straight out of highschool, taking him within the first-round of the 2005 NHL Draft. Oshie adopted that choice up with three years on the College of North Dakota, the place he shaped a really legendary tandem with eventual-rival Jonathan Toews. The 2 have been computerized of their freshman season, serving to Oshie attain a powerful 24 targets and 45 factors in 44 video games of his first 12 months.
The great instances saved rolling via Oshie’s sophomore and junior seasons in faculty. He chased 52 factors in 43 video games, then 45 factors in 42 video games, in his ultimate two seasons — whereas supporting North Dakota to the Frozen 4 in all three seasons. The Fightning Sioux by no means acquired over the hump, however Oshie’s performances have been sufficient to ramp him straight into the NHL within the 2008-09 season.
He entered the league on bumpy floor — and struggled to seek out his footing early on after dominating highschool and faculty. That was exacerbated by a pair of ankle accidents early into his profession, holding him to only 12 video games within the first half of his rookie season. However Oshie shot again to kind as soon as he returned to full well being, and proceeded to stamp his place within the Blues’ lineup with 35 factors in 45 video games via the 12 months’s second half. That’s a 64-point scoring tempo — a staggering quantity for a rookie coming off damage.
The assertion first 12 months was sufficient to earn Oshie a top-six position within the 2009-10 season — and a bid of well being gave him an opportunity to indicate what he may do. He completed the 12 months with 18 targets and 48 factors in 76 video games, and ranked second on the workforce in whole hits (149) behind outstanding bruiser David Backes (266). In Yr 3, his position shifted again to that of a play-driving scorer — and he posted 34 factors in 49 video games whereas battling via accidents as soon as once more.
With three years beneath his belt, Oshie’s influence turned clear. He was a feisty, hard-working winger on the NHL degree who sought out flashy dekes, gritty targets, and massive open-ice hits … even when the latter resulted in repeat accidents. It was an, once more, unwavering type that superbly complimented the heft of Backes and the talent of David Perron or Jaden Schwartz. Oshie ranked within the top-three of St. Louis’ scoring in three of his six years with the membership, even regardless of lacking 131 mixed video games as a result of damage.
However eyeing a lineup extra geared in direction of hits alongside the boards than flashy performs within the center, St. Louis opted to commerce Oshie to the Capitals for Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley and the draft choose used to pick Garrett Pilon in 2015. Brouwer would handle some electrical moments in St. Louis, however his performances all fell in need of the routine 50-point seasons Oshie supplied the Capitals. He managed one in all his many career-defining performances within the 2016-17 season — his second with the Capitals. Oshie scored a career-high 33 targets that 12 months en path to 56 factors in 68 video games. He saved it up in the summertime, netting 12 factors in 13 video games of Washington’s postseason.
The Capitals fell brief that 12 months, however Oshie’s power on the wing appeared to offer the membership an additional oomph. He returned with 18 targets and 47 factors within the 2017-18 common season, then turned one of many workforce’s high gamers throughout the 2018 postseason run. His 21 factors in 24 video games ranked fourth on the Capitals in playoff scoring behind Evgeny Kuznetsov, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. It was the constant gut-punch offense of that quartet, and the stout goaltending of Braden Holtby, that launched the Capitals to the primary Stanley Cup win in franchise historical past.
Oshie continued to supply his routine influence — scoring on tempo for north of 20 targets and 40 to 50 factors — via the remainder of his NHL profession.
He was additionally a focal piece of Crew USA on the 2009 and 2010 World Championships and 2017 World Championship. However his most notable worldwide efficiency got here on the 2014 Olympic Video games.
Oshie potted 4 factors in six video games throughout the total match, however cemented a legacy efficiency in USA’s ultimate group stage recreation towards the host-country Crew Russia. The 2 golf equipment went via regulation and extra time unable to interrupt a 2-2 tie recreation. Worldwide guidelines pushed the sport into an ordinary shootout, with one exception — there was no restrict on what number of instances a single participant may shoot.
With that data, USA head coach Dan Bylsma opted to offer Oshie’s lightning palms as many alternatives as he may. The winger took 5 of the USA’s eight shootout makes an attempt, and beat goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky on 4 of them.
His targets have been every super. He scored five-hole on the primary, managed a quick deke and glove-side purpose on the following two, then scored the game-winner with a easy, head-on shot. The efficiency gave Crew USA a bye within the knockout levels, although it in the end completed the tourney fourth-overall after robust losses to Canada (Gold winner) and Finland (Bronze winner).
However even with out a Gold medal, Oshie’s 2014 Winter Olympics went down in historical past. The IIHF amended the shootout rule quickly after, forcing groups to pick totally different skaters via the primary 5 photographs.
Oshie’s would carry the Cup 4 years later, and play his 1,000th NHL recreation 4 years after that. His journey via the hockey world now ends with one Cup win, one Bronze medal on the World Championship, and two Minnesota Excessive Faculty state championships.
He, and his father Tim Oshie, are considered extremely by many across the hockey world — and it appears unlikely that Oshie will likely be away from the NHL for all too lengthy. He’s already damaged into the broadcasting enterprise, becoming a member of ESPN’s protection of Recreation 4 of the Western Convention Closing this 12 months. Whether or not it’s in broadcasting or teaching, this absolutely isn’t the final followers will hear of T.J. Oshie.
This text first appeared on Pro Hockey Rumors and was syndicated with permission.
