On Sunday, T.J. Oshie returned to the Washington Capitals lineup and arrived in time to celebrate his 1,000th NHL game. More importantly, his club is frantically trying to qualify for the play-offs at this crucial point in the season. Washington defeated Winnipeg 3-0 and returned to the postseason with two assists from Oshie. "We were able to complete the task," stated Oshie. "I told them before the game how much I really appreciate everything, but our main priority is to win. Let's do it."
Oshie returned to the field after missing the previous two games due to injury. The 37-year-old winger's career has been in jeopardy due to ongoing back problems that have seen him miss games recently.
"I understand he's had a lot of injuries, but he played a big part in their success, especially when they won the cup," said Jets assistant Scott Arniel, who coached Oshie's four seasons with Washington. "He's a wonderful professional to work with, a first-class guy, a first-class teammate and a father, among other things."
The Capitals may benefit from a healthy Oshie in recent games, especially with Tom Wilson serving a six-game suspension. They play the Red Wings at home on Tuesday, a key game in the Eastern Conference playoffs for a wild card spot. Before Sunday's game, coach Spencer Carbery noted, "I've found that even lately we've been missing a little bit of his poise with the puck, his veteran presence on the ice when things get a little messy." He is able to find a way out of a crisis with a great deal of composure and composure, and therefore is able to calm everything down. He has the courage to handle these circumstances as well as anyone I have ever been with.
The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation will benefit from the pregame warmups in which Capitals players warmed up in their No. 77 jerseys, which will be signed and auctioned off. Tim, Oshie's father, died of an illness he had been battling while he and his son were in tears on the ice in Las Vegas in 2018 after Washington won the Stanley Cup. Oshie played his first seven seasons in St. Louis Blues before joining the Capitals for his ninth season. The Warroad, Minn., native played in his 1,000th regular season game on March 16 in Vancouver.
As Oshie and his teammates -- including injured center Nicklas Backstrom -- gathered around him for a picture, master of ceremonies Joe Beninati called Oshie "the heart of the Capitals." John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which was Oshie's goal song, played over the arena speakers. The event came just over a decade after Oshie made his mark at the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, winning four of six shots for the United States. "He's one of the best players in the league," Arniel said. Many people know not only about his NHL career, but also about his Olympic performance, including shootout incidents and his many methods of scoring goals.
