The 36-year-old credits Warroad for his unrelenting energy and big personality that's made him the face of the Capitals.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie never seems to be out of energy.
The 37-year-old is always in motion, whether it be big hits, screams of enthusiasm, warmup antics, jumps off the ice and down the tunnel and big kisses for the poster of the Stanley Cup that hangs right outside the dressing room at Capital One Arena.
Even after finishing up a long skate at MedStar Capitals Iceplex and making his way to the room, he needs to be doing something. He settles for unlacing his skates and bouncing in his stall as we talk about his career and where all of that energy comes from.
And for Oshie, it all starts with a move to a little town called Warroad, otherwise known as "Hockeytown USA."
Hockey was always in Oshie's blood. After all, he was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, to two natives of Warroad: mother Tina, a hairdresser, and father Tim, a hockey coach and DJ who also ran a roller rink out in Seattle. His cousins, Henry Boucha and Gary Sargent, were NHL players.
Though Oshie was raised on the game and coached by his dad, it was difficult for Oshie to truly hit his stride or get close to the action while growing up in Everett, Washington.
The game was expensive, the rink was a 30-45 minute drive for his parents and he had practice just twice a week, with the only available ice time being weeknights around 9 or 10 p.m. Oshie would begin the lengthy commute early, skate and then get picked up before arriving home at 2 a.m. and waking up for school the next day. Weekends then consisted of long car rides up to Canada.
For Oshie, who still had ways to go with regard to building up his skillset, it was difficult to navigate his dream of playing hockey while having little to no flexibility or time to grow on his ability.
"It was tough for me as a kid... it was super, super difficult," Oshie said. "I had some skill back then, but I wasn't a great skater for lack of being on the ice."
After his parents divorced when he was a teenager, Oshie moved to Stanwood with his mom, which added another 35 minutes to his commute. That's when his cousin, Boucha, recommended a move to Warroad. At this point, Oshie just wanted to play the game he loved, not even pondering the future.
So, at the age of 15, Oshie took Boucha's advice, packing his bags and moving with father to the small Minnesota town that sits just miles away from the Canadian border.
It would lead to more ice time, lower costs and ultimately, so many little experiences that intertwined to make T.J. Oshie... well, T.J. Oshie.
"When I went to Warroad... I started making strides," Oshie said.
Oshie went from playing late-night hockey just twice a week to spending six hours a day on the ice in Warroad. He skated as long as he could, lingering on the ice every day while growing his skillset, making friends and immersing himself further into the world and culture of hockey. All the while, off the ice, his big personality came to life as he became the happy-go-lucky, vivacious and relentless player he's known as today.
"I learned a lot of my manners and how to treat people and talk to people," Oshie said. "My family is very good at that. But especially in Warroad, Minnesota, everyone's like that," Oshie said. "So now only that, my first year there, I skated every single day that the ice was in, so that's 180 days or so straight of me being on the ice, which was absolutely amazing."
All the while, he connected with his Native American roots, attending his first powwow at the age of 15. He learned about his connections to the Ojibwwe Nation and earned Anishinaabemowin name, "Keeway Gaaboo," which translates fittingly to "coming home."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoPI-ILzagQ[/embed]
Those roots followed to high school, where he laced 'em up for the Warroad Warriors, whose name and mascot originate from the story of Ay-Ash-A-Wash, the Chief of Warroad and Buffalo Point during the War of the Lake of the Woods.
Over his three years playing for the Warriors, he led his school to three straight state tournaments and two titles while putting up record-setting numbers. His name quickly rose to prominence through the hockey world, one that even those not included in the town's population of 1,810 knew about.
"[Warroad's] known for hockey. Everyone loves hockey up there. Hockey's the culture, essentially. I remember T.J. playing the state tournament long ago," fellow Minnesota native and current teammate Charlie Lindgren, who is seven years younger than Oshie, said. "His statistics in high school, he had put up a lot of points. He's awesome."
His standout play earned him a scholarship to play for the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux and also caught the attention of the NHL. That was never on Oshie's radar, though. He just wanted to be on the ice by any means necessary.
"I just imagined that I'd always play hockey, and that's kind of where my dream ended," Oshie confessed. "My dream was to just score the game-winning goal in overtime, and that was kind of what I did every day in the backyard, and that was it. I was never stressed out about what I was going to do when I grew up; I kind of had my mind made up that I was just going to play hockey, and that was it. There was no other option."
In fact, the NHL itself was so far off Oshie's radar that he passed on attending the 2005 draft in Ottawa and instead spent the night at his friend Eric Olimb's house. While Oshie, who'd bleached his hair blonde, was sprawled out on the floor watching MTV's "Real World: Road Rules Challenge," Olimb was tracking the draft picks on his dial-up computer.
He saw his Oshie's name appear on the screen as the St. Louis Blues' 24th overall pick and shouted the news at Oshie, who at first, didn't give it much thought and turned his attention back to reality TV. Then, it hit, and he rushed to study up on the franchise and face the incoming media frenzy as he crammed to learn about his organization and future teammates.
Years of hard work paid off, and he'd get a chance to play on the world's biggest stage.
"I didn't really dream about people wearing my jersey, you know?... It's a game I love and still love today," Oshie said. "All the support and fans wearing my jersey and recognition, it's unbelievable. Teams I've been on, that's just a bonus. My dream was just to play hockey forever."
Oshie spent seven years with the Blues, earning award consideration, recording three 50-plus point seasons and taking the world by storm as an Olympic hero as his four straight shootout goals helped Team USA defeat Team Russia in the 2014 games in Sochi. However, it was in 2015, after a trade to the Capitals, that Oshie would see everything he learned on and off the ice in Warroad make him a face of a franchise.
No. 77 has been in Washington for eight years now and has recorded at least 40 points in all but the last two seasons due to ongoing injury struggles.
Ultimately, though, it's his voice, his leadership, unrelenting energy and contagious positivity that have made him a fan favorite, glue guy and beloved presence among his teammates. There's also a clear "Oshie Effect" in D.C., where the team boasts a majorly successful record with him and struggles greatly without him in the mix.
"He has a lot of fun," Nic Dowd added. "I think that's infectious. Having him is a good spark. He's physical, he plays the game the right way, he's accountable. And also producing... he's just a great guy to have in the locker room. He's one of our leaders."
"I remember our trainer here, Woody, he was telling me that he's never seen T.J. have a bad day. That's definitely what I've noticed, and he's just always the guy that's pumping everyone up, always got a smile on his face and just an incredible teammate... he's just the guy that gets everyone going and gets everyone revved up," Lindgren said, dubbing Oshie the "motor" of the dressing room. "He's a guy that we definitely don't take for granted. He's a guy that I think we need and is a very crucial part of our team success for sure."
And, of course, in 2018, he was an integral part of the Stanley Cup run and helped fuel his team to its first-ever title. He shared that victory with his dad, "Coach Oshie," who was battling early-onset Alzheimer's, and brought the Cup back to where it all began for him: Warroad.
There, he was greeted with a Native American honor song, and his day with the Cup, July 24, is officially "T.J. Oshie Day."
While his accomplishments, boisterous personality and historic career have made Oshie a household name, the "family man" and father of three girls and one boy shies away from the limelight.
"In public settings or at events, things like that," Oshie said. "Definitely not shy around these guys by any means or at home. When I'm around people I don't know, I tend to be pretty quiet and just people-watch. But the game has definitely opened up that side of me."
His Warroad roots play a big part in that, as he grew up learning to stay humble and true to himself. Even now, looking back at his career, it's still a whirlwind that's hard for Oshie to put into words.
The small-town kid that never even considered the NHL as a career path is now one of the biggest names in the hockey world and role model whose sweater ranks year after year as a best-seller. He credits that to his hometown, where his No. 19 hangs in the rafters back home and has spent his time away from the rink returning the favor.
Oshie has played an integral role in the hockey community and beyond, ensuring that his town will never have to pay for ice time again. Warroad, which is synonymous with hockey, pride and success thanks in part to Oshie, also serves as the inspiration and namesake for Oshie's hockey and athletic apparel company that has become prominent across the league.
Entering the twilight of his monumental career and struggling with injuries, Oshie is determined to continue making the same impact and playing to his fullest ability for as long as his body will allow him to.
His plan is to retire a Capital, but considering everything, his identity is summed up in one word, one town, one community: Warroad.