| T. J. Oshie | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Oshie with theWashington Capitals in April 2016 | |||
| Born | (1986-12-23)December 23, 1986 (age 38) | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11[3] in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196[3] lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Right | ||
| Played for | St. Louis Blues Washington Capitals | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 24th overall,2005 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 2008–2024 | ||
Timothy Leif "T. J."Oshie[a] (born December 23, 1986) is an American former professionalice hockeyright winger. He was selected by theSt. Louis Blues in the first round of the2005 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 theWashington Capitals in 2015. Oshie won theStanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in2018.
Oshie was 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 the2005–06 season.[5]
Born inMount Vernon, Washington,[2] Oshie was raised inEverett,[6][7] north ofSeattle, and was on ice at age five in the Seattle Junior Hockey Association, where he played for ten years.[8] Following his parents' amicable divorce, he lived inStanwood with his mother Tina and attendedStanwood High School for his freshman year. In 2002, Oshie moved toWarroad,Minnesota, where his parents were originally from, and lived with his father, Tim, and his father's cousin.
He attended Warroad High School,[9] 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 2005Associated Press andPioneer Press All-State First Team and finishing as aMinnesota Mr. Hockey Finalist.[10]
At the completion of his senior season with the Warriors in the 2004–05 season, he attended theUniversity of North Dakota, where he playedcollege ice hockey for theFighting Sioux.
Oshie started his career in the greaterSeattle area, playing for the Seattle Junior Hockey Association. He then moved to Warroad, Minnesota when he was in bantam. Following his draft, Oshie played for theUniversity of North Dakota men's ice hockey team in theWestern Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for three seasons.[11] 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 allNCAA 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.[10]
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.[10]
On May 13, 2008, Oshie opted to forgo his senior season at North Dakota and signed with theSt. Louis Blues.[12] He scored his first career NHL goal on October 22, 2008, against theDetroit 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's2008–09 "Goal of the Year" honors, a fan-voted contest on the NHL's website.[13]
Oshie broke his ankle in a fight withSamuel Påhlsson during a blowout loss against theColumbus Blue Jackets early in the2010–11 season on November 10, 2010, missing three months due to the injury.
In the2013–14 season, Oshie had 21 goals and 39 assists for a career-high 60 points.[14]
On July 2, 2015, Oshie was traded by the Blues to theWashington Capitals in exchange forTroy Brouwer,Pheonix Copley and a third-round draft pick in2016.[15] Oshie wore number 77 for the Capitals, as his previous number 74 is currently worn by Capitals defensemanJohn Carlson. Oshie had a successful first season with the Capitals, often finding himself playing on the Capitals' top line withAlexander Ovechkin andNicklas Bäckström. Oshie finished the2015–16 season with a career high 26 goals along with 25 assists for 51 points in 80 games, helping the team win their secondPresidents' Trophy. During Game 1 of the Capitals' second round series in the2016 playoffs against thePittsburgh Penguins, Oshie scored a hat trick, the third goal of which came in overtime, giving the Capitals a 4–3 win.[16] Despite this, the Capitals would lose the series in six games.
In the2016–17 season, Oshie would further extend his career-high in goals to 33 along with 23 assists for 56 points in 68 games en route to a second consecutive President's Trophy and third altogether for the Capitals but also another second-round playoff loss to the Penguins.
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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.[17] Oshie saw his production drop to 18 goals, 29 assists and 47 points in 72 games in2017–18 season but the Capitals as a team remained dominant as they would finish the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference and once the2018 playoffs began, Oshie would play a crucial role in the Capitals Stanley Cup victory, scoring 8 goals (including 6 on the powerplay) and 21 points in all 24 playoff games. On June 7, 2018, the Capitals defeated the first-year expansionVegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the2018 Stanley Cup Final for their firstStanley Cup in franchise history.[18] He is one of only 43 players to ever have 6 or more power play goals in a single playoffs.[19]
In a November 7, 2018, game against the Pittsburgh 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 fromEvgeni Malkin.[20] On November 14, in a 3–1 loss to theWinnipeg Jets, Oshie suffered a possible concussion when he was slammed down by the Jets' defensemanJosh Morrissey,[21] who was later fined for unsportsmanlike conduct.[22] Oshie has four reported concussions in his NHL career.[21] After missing 11 games, he returned for a home game against theDetroit Red Wings on December 11, scoring a goal in the 6-2 Caps win.[23] On April 18, 2019, during game 4 of the first round series between the Capitals and theCarolina Hurricanes in the2019 playoffs, Oshie was severely injured after beingcross-checked into the boards by Hurricanes forwardWarren Foegele.[24] Later tests revealed the injury to be a broken collarbone, and Oshie was ruled out indefinitely.[25] Oshie ultimately missed the remainder of the series, which the Capitals lost in 7 games.
On January 11, 2020, Oshie was voted into the2020 National Hockey League All-Star Game – hosted in St. Louis, home of his former team – along withMitch Marner,Quinn Hughes andDavid Perron.[26] That season, he led all Eastern Conference players with a 20.8% shooting percentage and 13 power play goals.[27]
On March 16, 2024, Oshie played his1,000th NHL game against theVancouver Canucks.[28] During the2023–24 season, Oshie suffered multiple 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.[29]
After having missed the entire2024–25 season due to the lingering effects of his prior season's injuries, Oshie announced his retirement from hockey on June 9, 2025.[30]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sice hockey | ||
| Representingthe United States | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2013 Sweden/Finland | |
Oshie represented theUnited States at the2006 World Junior Championships inVancouver. Following the Blues' elimination in the2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, he received his firstsenior national team callup for the2009 IIHF World Championship, also competing in the2010 Championship, scoring four goals and two assists in six games. In2012, he was the last addition of the American roster after the Blues were eliminated in the second round of the2012 playoffs.
On January 1, 2014, Oshie was named to the American roster for the2014 Winter Olympics, along with Blues teammatesDavid Backes andKevin Shattenkirk.[31] 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.[32] On February 15, in a preliminary-round game againstRussia, Oshie was repeatedly selected by Team USA Head CoachDan Bylsma to participate in ashootout that ultimately resulted in a 3–2 American victory.[33] Oshie was the first of three shooters to face goaltenderSergei Bobrovsky in the shootout, followed by teammatesJames van Riemsdyk andJoe 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.[34][35][36]
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Barry Trotz, former coach of theWashington Capitals from 2014–2018, describes Oshie in this way during the Capitals Stanley Cup run in 2018 "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?"[37] 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."[37]
Oshie has three siblings, a brother Taylor and two sisters, Tawni and Aleah Oshie.[2] He attended theUniversity of North Dakota inGrand Forks for three years, majoring in general studies.[10] His first cousin,Gary Sargent, and second cousin,Henry Boucha, played in the NHL.[38]
Oshie is from theAnishinaabe orOjibwe Nation; his name inAnishinaabemowin, or the Ojibwe language, "Keeway Gaaboo" means "coming home."[39] 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 theGreat Lakes or the sea. His father was Anishnaabe.[40]
In January 2007, Oshie and former North Dakota teammateJonathan Toews received alcohol-related citations for being minors in aGrand Forks,North Dakota, tavern.[41][42] Oshie and Toews pleaded guilty to the charges.[43] The two were later placed on probation and ordered to perform community service.[44]
Oshie and his wife Lauren Cosgrove Oshie have three daughters and one son. The family resides inMcLean, Virginia.[45] Their first-born daughter had been born withgastroschisis, for which she required surgery.[46]
Oshie's father, Tim, suffered fromEarly-onset Alzheimer's disease. After Oshie's 2018 Stanley Cup win, he remarked "My dad's here in the crowd... he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and he doesn't remember a lot of stuff. But...you bet your ass he's going to remember this one."[47] Oshie later said that his father remembered the win the next day.[48] Tim died on May 4, 2021, at the age of 56.
Oshie attracted controversy when he tweeted his support for PresidentDonald Trump on theday of his second inauguration. He responded to the backlash by saying he loves "Americans on both sides of the aisle and always will."[49]
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 52 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 44 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,010 | 302 | 393 | 695 | 541 | 106 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 79 | ||||
| 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 | |||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-WCHARookie Team | 2005–06 | |
| WCHAAll-Tournament Team | 2006,2008 | [50] |
| All-WCHAThird Team | 2006–07 | |
| All-WCHAFirst Team | 2007–08 | |
| AHCAWest First-Team All-American | 2007–08 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2018 | [51] |
| All-Star Game | 2020 | |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2005 | Succeeded by |