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Mar 24, 2024, 01:30 PM ET
T.J. Oshie returned to the Washington Capitals’ lineup Sunday, getting back just in time for the ceremony honoring his milestone of playing in 1,000 NHL games.
And more importantly, at a crucial juncture of the season, with his team trying desperately to make the playoffs.
Oshie was back against the Winnipeg Jets for Game No. 70 of 82 after missing the past two because of injury. The 37-year-old winger has been out off and on in recent months dealing with nagging back problems that have threatened to derail his career. He reached his 1,000th regular-season game March 16 at Vancouver.
On Sunday, Capitals players wore No. 77 jerseys during pregame warmups that will be autographed and auctioned, with proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. Oshie’s dad, Tim, died of the disease, which he was struggling with when father and son shared an emotional moment on the ice in Las Vegas when Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018.
Master of ceremonies Joe Beninati called Oshie “the heart of the Capitals” as he and his teammates, including sidelined center Nicklas Backstrom, gathered around him for a photo. Oshie’s goal song, John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” played over the arena speakers.
A grand ceremony fit for one #OshBabe#TJ1K pic.twitter.com/jtyjaYGRv4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 24, 2024
Oshie had told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski this past week that the 1,000-game plateau was his career measuring stick.
“There’s no other milestones that I really set for myself in my career,” Oshie said. “I looked up to the guys that came before me that reached the thousand-game mark, seeing the ceremonies and the silver sticks they’d receive. It’s a pretty cool thing, and it’s tough to do.”
The ceremony came just over 10 years after Oshie gained fame for his shootout performance at the Sochi Olympics, when he made four of six attempts in a U.S. victory over host Russia.
The Capitals could use a healthy Oshie down the stretch,…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39800638/tj-oshie-returns-capitals-lineup-honored-1000-games
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Publish date : 2024-03-24 18:32:35
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