ARLINGTON, Va. -- T.J. Oshie has long had his sights set on reaching 1,000 NHL games, so the Washington Capitals forward was undeterred by a recent upper-body injury that caused another delay in his pursuit four games shy of the cherished milestone.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a couple years because I thought it was in reach last season,” Oshie said. “I maybe even came back from injuries a little too fast trying to get in every single game I could get in. But it means a lot.”
Oshie could play his 1,000th game when the Capitals visit the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CITY, SNP, MNMT2). He will be a game-time decision with an upper-body injury after leaving the morning skate early.
It has been a long journey for the 37-year-old that began when he was selected by the St. Louis Blues with the No. 24 pick in the 2005 NHL Draft, and has required persistence through some twists -- including his trade to Washington in 2015 -- and injuries.
So, there is an appreciation among those who have watched him excel and endure to reach this point.
“He’s a big part of our team on the ice and off the ice,” Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin said. “He’s a warrior, he’s a leader and (I'm) pretty happy for him.”
There have been several touchstone moments along the way for Oshie, some before making his NHL debut against the Nashville Predators on Oct. 10, 2008. Among them were his decision to move from Stanwood, Washington, to play high school hockey in Warroad, Minnesota, in 2002; turning pro after three seasons at the University of North Dakota (2005-08); his first NHL goal (against Ty Conklin of the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 22, 2008); scoring four times on six attempts for the United States in that unforgettable shootout win against Russia in the 2014 Sochi Olympics; and being traded to Washington and helping the Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018.
But to explain his drive to reach 1,000 games, Oshie points to a meeting in a hotel ballroom in Sweden before the start of his second season with the Blues.
“I got chewed out for quite a while in front of the whole organization,” Oshie said. “That’s when I got challenged whether I was mature enough to play 100 games or even 200 games or 300 games.”
Oshie almost didn’t accompany St. Louis on its trip, which included an exhibition game against Linkoping HC in Linkoping and opening the 2009-10 season with two games against the Detroit Red Wings in Stockholm. After temporarily losing his passport, Oshie remained in St. Louis when the Blues traveled to face the Dallas Stars in their final preseason game before flying to Sweden.
Though Oshie recovered the passport in time to join St. Louis for its flight abroad, then-general manager Larry Pleau used the incident as an opportunity to deliver a message to Oshie and the rest of the players after they landed about their commitment off the ice.
“There’s preparation to this game and that’s the next step for you, not just him, but all young players,” Pleau said. “I used him as an example. It was just one of these things that you’ve got to get yourself in order off ice, not just on the ice.”
Oshie took the words to heart and credits Pleau with helping him get to this milestone.
“Looking back, that was probably the best thing I needed at the time,” he said. “Obviously, you’re a little upset that you get called out in front of everyone, but it was something that stuck with me and something that made me want to get to this 1,000-game mark even more. So at this point, I thank him for that challenge.”
Now a special adviser to Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong, Pleau knew Oshie had the talent to make it in the NHL. He also recognized Oshie had the character to handle criticism and respond to it the right way.
“Some guys you call out and they bury their heads,” Pleau said. “This kid wasn’t like that. He’d stand up and smile at you. You just hope that it sinks in eventually and it did with him. That’s why you’re so happy for him.”
In 16 NHL seasons, Oshie has 689 points (301 goals, 388 assists). He had 310 points (110 goals, 200 assists) in 443 regular-season games during seven seasons with the Blues and has 379 points (191 goals, 188 assists) in 556 regular-season games during nine seasons with the Capitals.
He has scored at least 20 goals six times, including an NHL career-high 33 in 68 games with Washington in 2016-17.
Keith Tkachuk, who played for St. Louis during Oshie’s first two seasons, immediately saw something special in Oshie because of his skill and ability to make an impact with a physicality that defies his size (listed at 6-foot, 187 pounds) and contagious, positive energy.
“Everybody loved him and respected him,” said Tkachuk, who played 1,201 games during his 18 NHL seasons before retiring in 2010. “Yeah, he had some fun, but look at what he’s doing now. He’s a mentor not only just for guys on his own team, guys across the country who are USA Hockey fans, and my kids (Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk and Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk), who saw him play at a young age.
“He plays hurt, he plays hard, he does the little things. He can beat you with his skill and he can play with anybody.”
The Capitals valued those qualities when they acquired Oshie from the Blues on July 2, 2015 for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, forward Troy Brouwer and goalie Pheonix Copley. They were looking to take the next step in their quest to win the Stanley Cup for the first time and envisioned him playing right wing on their top line with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
Oshie initially was devastated after Doug Armstrong, who replaced Pleau as St. Louis GM in 2010, told him he’d been traded. His mood quickly changed after Washington GM Brian MacLellan phoned and explained his expected role.
“There was only five minutes there of me being at an all-time low, it felt like, to going right back to a very excited high of the opportunity of playing with 'Ovi' and Backstrom, (defenseman John) Carlson, who I knew,” Oshie said. “So, I went from feeling not wanted at all to wanted a lot.”
Oshie proved to be a clutch Stanley Cup Playoff performer with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) in 72 games with the Capitals. He had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 24 playoff games when they won the Cup in 2018.
“He’s extremely skilled and he’s just a smart guy and knows what it takes in that certain time,” said Carlson, who is eight games away from 1,000. “He has played all around the lineup to an extremely high level: power play, penalty kill, everything. Obviously, on a personal level, everyone in here loves him and that’s a huge plus as well.”
Oshie, who has 19 points (11 goals, eight assists) in 41 games this season, always has played with a physical edge. Tkachuk recalled him twice jarring a much bigger Rick Nash (6-4, 211) of the Columbus Blue Jackets with big hits during his rookie season. Oshie’s 921 hits since joining the Capitals in 2015 are third on the team during that span, behind Tom Wilson (1,829) and Ovechkin (1,549).
“The way he plays, you cheer for the guy,” MacLellan said. “His character, he plays hard. He’s not the biggest guy in the League, and he’s played a hard 1,000 games.”
Those hard games have taken a toll, though, particularly on his back. Oshie has missed 86 games the past three seasons, including 24 this season.
His chances of reaching 1,000 this season appeared in jeopardy when he crawled off the ice after sustaining a noncontact injury at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 22. He missed only seven games before returning at the Winnipeg Jets on Monday.
“I don’t think he’s ever taken a shift off or a battle off in his entire career,” Wilson said. “So to be closing in on a feat like this is just a testament to his perseverance and his love for the game and his teammates and his team.”
