T.J. Oshie is hanging up his skates.
The long-time Capitals winger announced his retirement on Monday evening in front of legions of adoring fans at Washington Harbor, steps away from the Georgetown fountains where he celebrated a Stanley Cup title exactly seven years earlier.
“To my family, friends, coaches, trainers, teammates, fans and the game of hockey,” Oshie said. “I promise you this: the moment my skates touched the ice, I gave you all I had.”
For Capitals fans, coaches, players and staff, it was the end of an era.
“This moment is bittersweet, but I’m filled with gratitude as I reflect on an incredible journey,” Oshie said tearfully before shortening a speech rich with “thank yous.”
As part of the festivities, the Capitals awarded a $10,000 check to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Oshie’s father, Tim, died in 2021 after battling the disease for several years.
“Coach,” a documentary chronicling the Oshies’ relationship with each other and the patriarch’s battle with the illness, is slated to premiere at the DC/DOX film festival on Saturday.
Oshie spent nine seasons with the Capitals, not including the 2024-25 campaign that saw him stuck on long-term injured reserve with a nagging back injury. Despite continued efforts to return to the ice, Oshie’s locker at Capital One Arena remained unused last season.
After a first-round playoff exit in April 2024, Oshie said he’d spend the offseason looking for a solution to a back injury that routinely knocked him out of the lineup in his final seasons.
He didn’t find it.
The 2024-25 campaign arrived without a solution. Oshie, who had said that he wasn’t ready for retirement, never suited up again.
But the University of North Dakota product stuck around the Capitals. He watched longtime teammate Alex Ovechkin break the NHL goals record in April. Oshie was in street clothes with former teammate Nicklas Backstrom.
The two players earned a shoutout from the “Great Eight” during his on-ice ceremony.
“For him to call my name in that moment was incredibly special and, honestly, very emotional for me inside,” Oshie told NHL.com in April.
Backstrom and current Capitals defenseman John Carlson continued the trend, attending Monday’s announcement to support Oshie. Their bond made them brothers, according to the man of the hour.
When he finally hit free agency in 2017, Oshie was primed for a big payday from the highest bidder.
He wasn’t interested. The winger said he offered to sign for whatever the Capitals felt was fair.
Oshie wanted to stay with his found family.
“Thirty years from now, when I’m looking back on my career and telling my grandkids about what it was like playing in the NHL,” Oshie said, addressing teammates like Ovechkin, Backstrom, Carlson and Tom Wilson. “I’ll tell them that my favorite memories were my time with you.”
In the 14 months since he last played for the Capitals, Oshie has eased into retirement. His public appearances have seen the All-Star embrace opportunities typical of someone preparing for life after hockey.
The now-former winger appeared on ESPN broadcasts during the ongoing Stanley Cup playoffs, analyzing plays and highlights alongside former player P.K. Subban. He also appeared as a guest on TSN Radio, NHL Network and the “Empty Netters” podcast this spring.
An official retirement announcement seemed inevitable. The certainty of Monday’s news didn’t affect the emotions of Capitals fans, though.
Hundreds gathered on Monday to voice their appreciation. They shared their favorite “Osh” moments and showered the newly retired skater with applause.
“He’s just such a good dude,” said Kelly Wing, a fan who saved herself a front-row seat to the festivities. “He’s wholesome, a family man, a legend on and off the ice.”
It was a bittersweet occasion. Oshie’s playing career was over, but the Capitals sent him off in style. Balloon arches and No. 77 decor dotted the Georgetown waterfront.
Oshie notched 192 of his 302 career goals with the Capitals after starting his 16-year NHL career with a seven-season stint with the St. Louis Blues.
The District quickly stole Oshie’s heart, he said.
“When I stepped into the Capitals’ locker room for the first time at training camp,” said Oshie, who was traded from St. Louis in the summer of 2015. “I felt at home.”
Oshie was a fan favorite amongst Capitals die-hards, a status that was only cemented with the franchise’s first and only Stanley Cup title in 2018. Oshie marked the occasion with a “Mario Kart”-themed tattoo, honoring the video game he played with his teammates during the playoff run.
The celebrations that followed the title run live on for the District’s hockey fanatics. It was Oshie’s idea to take his shirt off and grab his teammates before splashing into the fountains at Washington Harbor.
“In Vegas, they became champions,” read a plaque installed at the fountains last fall. “Here, they became legends.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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