T. J. Oshie

Summary

Timothy Jimothy "T. J." Oshie[a][1] (born December 23, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, as the 24th overall pick. He then spent the first seven years of his NHL career with the Blues before being traded to the Washington Capitals in 2015. Oshie won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in 2018.

T. J. Oshie
Oshie with the Washington Capitals in 2020
Born (1986-12-23) December 23, 1986 (age 37)
Mount Vernon, Washington, U.S.[1][2]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
Washington Capitals
St. Louis Blues
National team  United States
NHL Draft 24th overall, 2005
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 2008–present

Oshie is widely considered a shootout specialist in the NHL and is one of the top career leaders in goals scored and scoring percentage since the league adopted shootouts in overtime for the 2005–06 season.[3]

Early years edit

Born in Mount Vernon, Washington,[2] Oshie was raised in Everett, north of Seattle, and was on ice at age five in the Seattle Junior Hockey Association, where he played for ten years.[4] Following his parents' amicable divorce, he lived in Stanwood with his mother Tina and attended Stanwood High School for his freshman year. In 2002, Oshie moved to Warroad, Minnesota, where his parents were originally from, and lived with his father, Tim, and his father's cousin.

He attended Warroad High School,[5] where he was a star player on the hockey team for three seasons, leading the club to two Minnesota State Class A titles in 2003 and 2005. He made the state's All-Tournament Team all three years. With 100 points (37 goals and 63 assists) in 31 games as a senior, he led all Minnesota high school players in scoring, subsequently being named to the 2005 Associated Press and Pioneer Press All-State First Team and finishing as a Minnesota Mr. Hockey Finalist.[6]

At the completion of his senior season with the Warriors in 2004–05, he attended the University of North Dakota, where he played for the Fighting Sioux.

Playing career edit

Amateur edit

Oshie started his career in the greater Seattle area, playing for Seattle Junior Hockey Association. Then moved to Warroad, Minnesota when he was in bantam. Following his draft, Oshie played for the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for three seasons.[7] Scoring a team-leading 24 goals as a freshman, he added 21 assists for 45 points total. He also set a school record with nine game-winning goals in the season, which also led all NCAA players. At the end of his debut season, he was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and the WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team.[6]

In his sophomore year, Oshie improved to 52 points (17 goals and 35 assists), ranking second in team scoring. He earned Third Team All-WCHA and received the Fighting Sioux's Cliff "Fido" Purpur Award, given to the player who demonstrates hard work and determination while generating excitement on the ice. Following North Dakota's WCHA playoff run, Oshie led all players with eight points (four goals and four assists) in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, earning NCAA West All-Tournament honors. He played his last season with North Dakota as a junior, recording 45 points in 42 games.[6]

St. Louis Blues edit

 
Oshie playing with St. Louis in 2014.

On May 13, 2008, Oshie opted to forgo his senior season at North Dakota and signed with the St. Louis Blues.[8] He scored his first career NHL goal on October 22, 2008, against the Detroit Red Wings. Oshie quickly became a fan favorite due to his fast and energetic style of play. Playing in 57 games, he scored 14 goals and 25 assists for 39 points during his rookie year. At the end of the season, he won the NHL's 2008–09 "Goal of the Year" honors, a fan-voted contest on the NHL's website.[9]

Oshie broke his ankle in a fight with Samuel Påhlsson during a blowout loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets early in the 2010–11 season, missing three months due to the injury.

In 2013–14, Oshie had 21 goals and 39 assists for a career-high 60 points.[10]

Washington Capitals edit

On July 2, 2015, Oshie was traded by the Blues to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley and a third-round draft pick in 2016.[11] Oshie wears number 77 for the Capitals, as his previous number 74 is currently worn by Capitals defenseman John Carlson.

Oshie had a successful first season with the Capitals, often finding himself playing on the Capitals' top line with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Bäckström. Oshie finished the season with a career high 26 goals, helping the team win their second Presidents' Trophy. During Game 1 of the Capitals' second round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Oshie scored a hat trick, the third goal of which came in overtime, giving the Capitals a 4–3 win.[12] Despite this, the Capitals would lose the series in six games. In 2016–17, Oshie would further extend his career-high in goals to 33 en route to a second consecutive President's Trophy for the Capitals but also another second-round playoff loss to the Penguins.

 
Oshie with the Capitals in 2016, his first season with the franchise

On June 23, 2017, Oshie signed an eight-year, $46 million contract with an annual average of $5.75 million to remain with the Capitals.[13]

Oshie saw his production drop to 18 goals and 47 points in 72 games in 2017–18, but would play a crucial role in the Capitals 2018 Stanley Cup victory, scoring 8 goals (including 6 on the powerplay) and 21 points in 24 playoff games. On June 7, 2018, the Capitals defeated the first-year expansion Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.[14] He is one of only 43 players to ever have 6 or more power play goals in a single playoffs.[15]

In a November 7, 2018, game against the Penguins, Oshie was injured twice on the ice and came back to score the winning goal with 1:14 minutes left in the game. Oshie was sent to the training room twice, the first time requiring two stitches to a cut near his left eye created by an opponent's stick. He then took a shoulder check to the head from Evgeni Malkin.[16] On November 14, in a 3–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, Oshie suffered a possible concussion when he was slammed down by the Jets' defenseman Josh Morrissey,[17] who was later fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.[18] Oshie has four reported concussions in his NHL career.[17] After missing 11 games, he returned for a December 11, 2018 home game against the Detroit Red Wings, scoring a goal in the 6-2 Caps win.[19]

On April 18, 2019, during game 4 of the first round series between the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes, Oshie was severely injured after being cross-checked into the boards by Hurricanes forward Warren Foegele.[20] Later tests revealed the injury to be a broken collarbone, and Oshie was ruled out indefinitely.[21] Oshie ultimately missed the remainder of the series, which the Capitals lost in 7 games.

On January 11, 2020, Oshie was voted into the 2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game - hosted in St. Louis, home of his former team - along with Mitch Marner, Quinn Hughes, and David Perron.[22] That season he led all Eastern Conference players with a 20.8% shooting percentage and 13 power play goals.[23]

On March 16, 2024, Oshie played his 1,000th NHL game against the Vancouver Canucks.[24] During the season, Oshie suffered a few injuries that kept him out of the lineup for extended periods of time leading up to his 1,000th game, including an upper body injury that potentially could have made him miss the milestone by one game.[25]

International play edit

Medal record
Ice hockey
Representing   United States
World Championships
  2013 Sweden/Finland

Oshie represented the United States at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Vancouver. Following the Blues' elimination in the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, he received his first senior national team callup for the 2009 IIHF World Championship, also competing in the 2010 Championship, scoring four goals and two assists in six games. In 2012, he was the last addition of the American roster after the Blues were eliminated in the second round of the 2012 playoffs.

On January 1, 2014, Oshie was named to the American roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Blues teammates David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk.[26] Oshie was a player on the "bubble," as he was one of several American-born players being considered for one of Team USA's final roster spots. Oshie was eventually chosen in large part due to his high success rate in shootouts.[27] On February 15, in a preliminary-round game against Russia, Oshie was repeatedly selected by Team USA Head Coach Dan Bylsma to participate in a shootout that ultimately resulted in a 3–2 American victory.[28] Oshie was the first of three shooters to face goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in the shootout, followed by teammates James van Riemsdyk and Joe Pavelski. After the score remained tied after the first three rounds, international rules stipulated that coaches could re-use players as often as desired. Oshie was subsequently tabbed by Bylsma five consecutive times, ultimately converting four of six shot attempts, including the shootout-winner in the eighth round.[29][30][31]

Player profile edit

 
Oshie with St. Louis in 2014

Barry Trotz, former coach of the Washington Capitals, describes Oshie in this way: "Osh is a hockey player. Obviously, he brings energy and he does all of those things, but in simplest terms, he loves playing. He enjoys being around the guys all of the time. He enjoys the battles, he enjoys the competition, and he does it with a smile on his face, you know?"[32] Oshie himself hopes his approach to ice hockey inspires others: "I think you’ve just got to enjoy the competition in playoffs. I think it’s the most fun part of our sport is when everyone’s giving their best and it’s you versus another guy. Sometimes, it’s not always the skill. It’s just the will to win a battle, and I don’t know, for some reason, that gets me going. That gets me excited. When I play that way, I hope it can be somewhat of an inspiration to some of the younger guys or just even the other guys that are able to see it."[32]

Personal life edit

Oshie has three siblings, a brother Taylor and two sisters, Tawni and Aleah Oshie.[2] He attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for three years, majoring in general studies.[6] His first cousin, Gary Sargent, and second cousin, Henry Boucha, played in the NHL.[33]

Oshie is from the Anishinaabe or Ojibwe Nation; his name in Anishinaabemowin, or the Ojibwe language, “Keeway Gaaboo,” means "coming home."[34] Giiwe translates roughly as "s/he returns home." If the -aaboo in Gaaboo refers to water, then this name may evoke the poetic image of water that, by traveling downhill, will inevitably find its way home to a larger body of water, such as the Great Lakes or the sea. His father was Anishnaabe.[35]

According to a 2009 interview, the nickname "T. J." was given to him by his mother after she saw the film The Champ, because Oshie reminded her of the main character's son, who is named T. J. Flynn.[36]

In January 2007, Oshie and former North Dakota teammate Jonathan Toews received alcohol-related citations for being minors in a Grand Forks, North Dakota, tavern.[37][38] Oshie and Toews pleaded guilty to the charges.[39] The two were later placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.[40]

Oshie and his wife Lauren Cosgrove Oshie have three daughters, and one son. The family resides in McLean, Virginia.[41] Their first-born daughter had been born with gastroschisis, for which she required surgery.[42]

Oshie's father, Tim, suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[43] Tim died on May 4, 2021, at the age of 56.

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2003–04 Warroad High School HS-MN 31 43 42 85 12
2004–05 Warroad High School HS-MN 31 38 62 100 22
2004–05 Sioux Falls Stampede USHL 11 3 2 5 6
2005–06 University of North Dakota WCHA 43 24 21 45 33
2006–07 University of North Dakota WCHA 43 17 35 52 30
2007–08 University of North Dakota WCHA 42 18 27 45 57
2008–09 St. Louis Blues NHL 57 14 25 39 30 4 0 0 0 2
2009–10 St. Louis Blues NHL 76 18 30 48 36
2010–11 St. Louis Blues NHL 49 12 22 34 15
2011–12 St. Louis Blues NHL 80 19 35 54 50 9 0 3 3 6
2012–13 St. Louis Blues NHL 30 7 13 20 15 6 2 0 2 2
2013–14 St. Louis Blues NHL 79 21 39 60 42 5 2 0 2 2
2014–15 St. Louis Blues NHL 72 19 36 55 51 6 1 1 2 0
2015–16 Washington Capitals NHL 80 26 25 51 34 12 6 4 10 11
2016–17 Washington Capitals NHL 68 33 23 56 36 13 4 8 12 4
2017–18 Washington Capitals NHL 74 18 29 47 31 24 8 13 21 31
2018–19 Washington Capitals NHL 69 25 29 54 36 4 1 1 2 4
2019–20 Washington Capitals NHL 69 26 23 49 26 8 3 0 3 13
2020–21 Washington Capitals NHL 53 22 21 43 18 5 1 3 4 0
2021–22 Washington Capitals NHL 44 11 14 25 18 6 6 1 7 0
2022–23 Washington Capitals NHL 58 19 16 35 59
NHL totals 958 290 380 670 497 102 34 34 68 75

International edit

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2006 United States WJC 7 1 0 1 10
2009 United States WC 9 1 2 3 2
2010 United States WC 6 4 2 6 2
2013 United States WC 4 1 0 1 2
2014 United States OLY 3 1 3 4 2
2016 United States WCH 3 1 0 1 0
Junior totals 7 1 0 1 10
Senior totals 25 8 7 15 8

Awards and honors edit

Award Year
College
All-WCHA Rookie Team 2005–06
WCHA All-Tournament Team 2006, 2008 [44]
All-WCHA Third Team 2006–07
All-WCHA First Team 2007–08
AHCA West First-Team All-American 2007–08
NHL
Stanley Cup champion 2018 [45]
All-Star Game 2020

Notes edit

  1. ^ T. J. is an abbreviation for Timothy Junior, as Oshie's father is also named Timothy.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Gross Misconduct Q&A with T.J. Oshie". Archived from the original on December 24, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Morosi, Jon Paul (December 21, 2005). "Oshie, family realize their dream on ice". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  3. ^ Marl, Kevin; Ago, 5 Years (August 21, 2015). "T.J. Oshie: Washington Capitals Shootout Specialist". Stars and Sticks. Retrieved November 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "T.J. Oshie".
  5. ^ Muhlstein, Julie (February 5, 2014). "Hockey mom to see son play in Sochi". Everett Herald. Retrieved February 18, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d "T. J. Oshie". University of North Dakota. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  7. ^ "T.J. Oshie Official Player Page". NHL.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "T.J. Oshie is Latest WCHA Player to Leave Early – Signs with NHL's St. Louis Blues". WCHA.com. May 13, 2008. Archived from the original on May 22, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2009.
  9. ^ "Oshie, Lucic MacDonald win Fans Choice Awards". National Hockey League. April 10, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
  10. ^ "T.J. Oshie". hockeydb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  11. ^ "Capitals acquire T.J. Oshie from St. Louis from St. Louis in three player trade". Washington Post. July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  12. ^ Gretz, Adam (April 29, 2016). "WATCH: Capitals win Game 1 on controversial overtime goal". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  13. ^ "Capitals re-sign Oshie to eight-year, $46M deal - TSN.ca". June 23, 2017.
  14. ^ Rosen, Dan. "Capitals win Stanley Cup, defeat Golden Knights in Game 5 of Final". NHL.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  15. ^ "Most Power-Play Goals in One Playoff Season by NHL Players".
  16. ^ Whyno, Stephen (November 8, 2018). "Oshie leaves twice, scores winner to lift Caps over Pens 2-1". sandiegouniontribune.com. Associated Press. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Khurshudyan, Isabelle (November 14, 2018). "Capitals dealing with injuries to Braden Holtby, Evgeny Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie". Washington Post. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "Jets' Josh Morrissey fined for hit on Capitals' T.J. Oshie". Sportsnet.ca. November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  19. ^ Capitals' T.J. Oshie scores in first game back, extends lead over Red Wings, December 11, 2018, retrieved December 12, 2018
  20. ^ T.J. Oshie injured in Game 4 against Hurricanes, April 18, 2019, retrieved April 24, 2019
  21. ^ "Oshie has surgery on injured clavicle, will be out indefinitely". NBC Sports Washington. April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  22. ^ "Leafs' Marner, Canucks' Hughes among final all-star picks". cbc.ca. January 11, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  23. ^ "2020-21 NHL Leaders".
  24. ^ "T.J. Oshie to Play in His 1,000th Career NHL Game Tonight Against Vancouver". nhl.com. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  25. ^ "Oshie Dealing With Upper-Body Injury Ahead Of 1,000th NHL Game, Questionable vs. Canucks". thehockeynews.com. March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  26. ^ "St. Louis Blues: Blues Will Be Very Well Represented in the Winter Olympics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  27. ^ "T.J. Sochi: Oshie lifts USA over Russia in shootout". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. February 15, 2014.
  28. ^ "Game Summary: USA 3, Russia 2" (PDF). IIHF. February 15, 2014.
  29. ^ "T.J. Oshie leads USA to thrilling shootout win over Russia". USA Today. February 15, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
  30. ^ "Oshie's Heroics Lift USA to a Win: Blues forward scored four times in a shootout to help defeat Russia". NHL.com. February 15, 2014.
  31. ^ "Hockey: US tops Russia in OT thriller". CNN.com. February 15, 2014.
  32. ^ a b Khurshudyan, Isabelle (April 20, 2018). "'He's a hockey player': Capitals' T.J. Oshie is playing hurt and still scoring". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  33. ^ O'Neill, Dan (March 17, 2014). "Oshie baby arrives; T.J. won't skate tonight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  34. ^ "Minnesota H.S. Section 8A Boy's Hockey Site: Keeway Gaaboo .... A Symbol of Pride for Fighting Sioux". April 7, 2008.
  35. ^ "The Hug Heard Around The World". Sports on Earth.
  36. ^ "Ask a Player: T.J. Oshie". NHL.com. April 19, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  37. ^ "UND Players Cited In Tavern". U.S. College Hockey Online. USCHO.com. June 17, 2009. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  38. ^ "Buck Passers, Puck Passers at Bemidji State". insidecollegehockey.com. February 28, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  39. ^ "Toews among six minors ticketed in Grand Forks bar". Sun Media. February 4, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2009.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  40. ^ "Bina's Charges Dismissed". College Hockey News. July 1, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2009.
  41. ^ "TJ Oshie bought a house in McLean for $5.2 million". November 7, 2017.
  42. ^ Carroll, Linda (April 4, 2014). "Hockey star TJ Oshie's baby girl recovering from surgery for birth defect". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  43. ^ Stump, Scott (June 8, 2019). "Capitals T.J. Oshie offers emotional tribute to dad with Alzheimer's after Stanley Cup win". Today. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  44. ^ "WCHA Tourney History". WCHA. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  45. ^ "The Washington Capitals, after years of frustration, win the Stanley Cup". The New York Times. June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.

External links edit

  • Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
  • T.J. Oshie on FightingSioux.com
Sporting positions
Preceded by St. Louis Blues first round draft pick
2005
Succeeded by