T.J. Oshie will announce his retirement on Monday. The longtime start leaves an indelible mark on Washington Capitals’ history.
Seven years ago Saturday, on the frozen surface of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the Capitals skated with the Stanley Cup for the first time in the franchise’s history. Nearly 10 years ago, the Capitals made a landmark trade with the St. Louis Blues.
Washington acquired Oshie on July 2, 2015, for Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 third-round pick. Lack of playoff success in St. Louis contributed to the trade. However, with the Capitals, his addition helped spark an impressive stretch for Washington that ultimately ended up with a championship.
Oshie brought more than skill
Oshie was a different type of forward for Washington to have, one less reliant on just skill but also with some grit and not afraid to crash the net. According to HockeyFights.com, Oshie had nine fights in a Capitals sweater. Three came in the postseason.
Oshie is expected to hang up his skates for good on Monday, back at the fountains in Georgetown where the videos of him and his teammates playing with the Cup went viral, capping a career where he recorded 302 goals in the regular season in 1,010 games, and 34 playoff goals in 106 games. He also will be known for his skill in the shootout, helping the United States defeat the Russian hosts in the preliminary round of the 2014 Olympic tournament in Sochi, going 4-for-6 against Sergei Bobrovsky.
Immediate impact in Washington
Oshie was power forward that added a different element to Washington’s potent attack, Oshie recorded 51 points in his first season in the nation’s capital as the Capitals won the Presidents’ Trophy for the second time in franchise history. The Warroad, Minnesota product also added six goals in 12 playoff games that spring, including a hat trick in Game 1 of their second-round series opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The following season, the Capitals retained the title of the league’s top regular-season record, Oshie scored a career-high 33 goals, along with 56 points and he added 12 playoff points in 13 games.
Oshie wasn’t quite as good in 2017-18 with 47 points, he blossomed that spring, recording 21 points in 24 playoff games, finishing fourth on Washington’s roster and tied for fifth league-wide. In Game Four at home, he notched the game’s first goal. Later, he added two assists in Game Four against the Vegas Golden Knights as the Capitals won, 6-2. Washington went west with a three games to one lead in the series.
The unforgettable run ended three nights later in Vegas. After Game Five, Oshie hoisted the Stanley Cup with his father Tim, who had been suffering from Alzheimer’s since 2012.
Oshie recorded the goal and six assists in the five-game win, and helped Washington bury its playoff failures with its first title.
A spontaneous moment became iconic
He also made his mark on the team’s Stanley Cup parade. While on the podium in front of the U.S. Capitol, Oshie chugged an aluminum bottle of Bud Light through his jersey. The moment started a trend among hockey fans in the region.
Oshie’s importance to the Capitals’ playoff hopes was also evident the following spring. He was injured late in Game 4 of their opening-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes. The team lost two of the series’ final three games. The title defense ended abruptly.
Oshie made his first NHL All-Star Game in his former home in St. Louis in 2020. Weeks later, the pandemic disrupted the season. The player was on a 30-goal pace at the time.
Oshie dealt with later-career adversity
While Oshie’s game started to decline following the playoff bubble, one of his most unforgettable moments occured late in the 2020-21 regular season. During a day off in between a pair of games at Madison Square Garden, Tim passed away.
On May 5, 2021, Oshie recorded a hat trick in his dad’s honor. Tom Wilson triggered an early-game altercation that left the penalty boxes full. Shortly thereafter, at the 12-second mark of the first period, Oshie scored a power play goal. Later, he added another power play goal. Finally, Oshie converted an empty netter to seal the win.
Oshie ultimately dealt with back issues. He missed 30 games in 2023-24. He ended up playing his final career game in the Game Four loss to the New York Rangers. The veteran spent the entire 2024-25 campaign on long-term injured reserve, as did longtime teammate Nicklas Backstrom. The $5.75 million of cap allowance created by the LTIR designation allowed Washington to conduct a quick retool. The Capitals finished first in the Eastern Conference during the regular season.
Moving forward
Oshie’s eight-year contract signed in 2017 created concern in Washington. The sheer length of term involved considerable risk. The deal expires on July 1.
The veteran wasn’t entirely absent this past season. He and four of his teammates from that 2018 Stanley Cup squad – Backstrom, Devante Smith-Pelley, Braden Holtby and Brooks Orpik – dropped the puck before the game where Alex Ovechkin scored career goals 893 and 894 against the Chicago Blackhawks as part of the team’s 50th anniversary celebrations. On May 27, in what may be a precursor to what’s next for Oshie, he was part of the ESPN broadcast of the Eastern Conference Final between Carolina and the Florida Panthers.
Seven years after the Capitals celebrated in the fountains of Georgetown, Oshie becomes the first Cup-team core player to officially retire. However, with Oshie dipping his toes in the broadcasting world, Capitals fans may not have seen the last of one of the key players of the modern era.
