Capitals’ T.J. Oshie Announces Retirement From the NHL

Though he had a long NHL career, the American-born Oshie will always be remembered for one sequence in particular. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, he scored four shootout goals on Hall of Fame-bound netminder Sergei Bobrovsky to defeat the hosts in the preliminary round. The United States lost in the bronze medal game, but Oshie’s heroics were the standout moment of the tournament.

Getting away from his international play, Oshie was a consistent top-six player back in the NHL. The 2005 first-round pick made his debut with the St. Louis Blues in 2008–09, a season in which he accumulated 39 points in 57 games. At a rate of 56 points per 82 games, he kept that exact pace throughout his career, despite playing until age 37.

Oshie spent seven seasons with the Blues and put up 310 points (110 goals, 200 assists) in 443 games, along with a plus-71 rating. He went to the playoffs semi-regularly—five times—but failed to reach the Western Conference Final. After establishing himself as a fan favorite in St. Louis, he was dealt to the Capitals for a package centered around fellow winger Troy Brouwer.

In Washington, Oshie was the same player but was able to build a strong playoff résumé. He had just nine points in 30 postseason contests as a Blue, yet hit the double-digit point mark in three consecutive runs with the Capitals. The peak of which came in 2018, where he had 21 points in 24 games en route to D.C.’s first Stanley Cup championship. He had a team-leading six power-play goals.

Oshie’s time in Washington wasn’t just playoff excellence, though. Across 567 regular-season games, he had 385 points (192 goals, 193 assists) and a plus-16 rating.

With the United States, Blues, and Capitals, Oshie had a memorable impact. He retired as one of 404 players to dress in 1,000 games.