T.J. Oshie

**T.J. Oshie** (born Timothy Leif Oshie on December 23, 1986 in Mount Vernon, Washington) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Washington Capitals of the NHL.

He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

## Playing Career

### Amateur

While attending Warroad High School in Warroad, Minnesota, T.J. 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.

At the completion of his senior season with the Warriors in 2004–05, T.J. joined the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for 11 games. In the off-season, he was selected 24th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Following the draft, he played for the University of North Dakota men's ice hockey team in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) for three seasons.

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, T.J. was named to the WCHA All-Rookie Team and the WCHA Final Five All-Tournament Team.

In his sophomore year, T.J. 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, he led all players with eight points (four goals and four assists) in the 2006 NCAA Tournament, earning NCAA West All-Tournament honors. T.J. played his last season with North Dakota as a junior, recording 45 points in 42 games.

### Professional

**St. Louis Blues**

On May 13, 2008, T.J. opted to forgo his senior season at North Dakota and signed with the St. Louis Blues. He scored his first career NHL goal on October 22, 2008, against the Detroit Red Wings, and quickly became a fan favorite due to his fast & energetic style of play.

Playing in 57 games, T.J. 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).

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

In the 2013–14 season, he had 21 goals and 39 assists for a career-high 60 points.

**Washington Capitals**

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

He had a successful first season with the Capitals, often finding himself playing on the Capitals' top line with Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. He 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, T.J. scored a hat trick, the third goal of which came in overtime, giving the Capitals a 4–3 win. Despite this, the Capitals would lose the series in six games.

In the 2016-17 season, T.J. would further extend his career-high in goals to 33 en route to a second consecutive President’s Trophy for the Capitals. On June 23, 2017, he signed an eight-year, $46 million contract with an annual average of $5.75 million to remain with the Capitals.

T.J. 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 Final for their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. T.J. is one of only 43 players to ever have 6 or more power play goals in a single playoffs.

In a November 7, 2018, game against the Penguins, T.J. was injured twice on the ice and came back to score the winning goal with 1:14 minutes left in the game. He 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 an shoulder check to the head from Evgeni Malkin.

On November 14, 2018, in a 3–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets, T.J. suffered a possible concussion when he was slammed down by the Jets' defenseman Josh Morrissey (who was later fined for unsportsmanlike conduct). He has four reported concussions in his NHL career.

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.

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.

Later tests revealed the injury to be a broken collarbone and T.J. was ruled out indefinitely, ultimately missing the remainder of the series (which the Capitals lost in 7 games).

On January 11, 2020, T.J. was voted into the 2020 NHL All-Star Game along with Mitch Marner, Quinn Hughes and David Perron.

## International Play

T.J. 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, T.J. was named to the American roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics, along with Blues teammates David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk.

He 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. He was eventually chosen in large part due to his high success rate in shootouts.

On February 15, in a preliminary-round game against Russia, T.J. was repeatedly selected by Team USA Head Coach Dan Bylsma to participate in a shootout that ultimately resulted in a 3–2 American victory.

T.J. 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. T.J. was subsequently tabbed by Bylsma five consecutive times, ultimately converting four of six shot attempts, including the shootout-winner in the eighth round.

## Personal Life

T.J. is the son of Tim and Tina Oshie. He has three siblings: a brother, Taylor and two sisters, Tawni & Aleah. His first cousin, Gary Sargent and his second cousin, Henry Boucha played in the NHL. His father suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

He is from the Anishinaabe or Ojibwe Nation; his name in the Ojibwe language, or Anishnaabemowin, "Keeway Gaaboo," (which means "coming home").

He attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks for three years, majoring in general studies. He was raised in Everett, Washington and began playing hockey in the Seattle Junior Hockey Association where he played for 10 years.

Following his parents' amicable divorce, T.J. resided in Stanwood with his mother and attended Stanwood High School for his freshman year. In 2002, he moved to Warroad, Minnesota (where his parents were originally from) and lived with his father and his father's cousin.

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

In January 2007, T.J. and former North Dakota teammate Jonathan Toews received alcohol-related citations for being minors in a tavern in Grand Forks, North Dakota. They plead guilty to the charges, placed on probation and were ordered to perform community service.

T.J. and his wife, Lauren Cosgrove Oshie have three children: daughters Lyla Grace & Leni Rose, and son Campbell Richard.