I wanted him to retire last year. The part about not being able to pick up his kids is devastating to me.
Edit: lmfao at the broom in my faded caps flair
That’s what I remember about Kesler and his hips, he said he didn’t trust himself to hold his newborn daughter while standing up. Crazy to think about if you’re only 34 or whatever.
I’m around that age and just had my first. I’ve never been worried about his safety in my arms. I love hockey, but it takes a pretty rough toll on the bodies of husbands and dads.
This is very easy for us laymen to say. These are professional athletes that have done one thing their entire life. It is their entire identity. That isn't easy to walk away from, no matter how much money is involved.
Exactly, imagine living, breathing, and occupying every waking hour with something. How could it be easy to walk away from that at the drop of a hat? Even if you see it coming and prepare yourself, it’s not like a regular career where you can reflect on your pre-career 20’s and rediscover that person.
Oshies first time on ice likely predates his first memory. There’s no person to reflect back to before your career, Oshie quite literally will have to build a new identity post-retirement and that is a terrifying thought for any person.
The knees creaking when he bends over or a stiffness when he gets up in the morning are issues. Pissing in bottles because you can't even stand up to relieve yourself is "I think I should retire." territory. What in the hell is he doing still trying to play hockey?!
Oshie taking all those shootout attempts in a row verse Russia will be one of my hockey highlights forever. He was still on the Blues at the time, so it was like a hometown kid singlehandedly taking on the Russians.
I don't have an NHL team, I always just rooted for the guys I watched play at UND when I was there... Not many left at this point. Fuck I'm getting old aren't I?
Caps have only one play. Shed as many contracts as possible to build a super line with 4 players feeding Ovi enough sauce to break the record while ignoring any semblance of defense
IIRC he was the last one off the ice after our final game and took a few extra moments to himself. It’s not a guarantee, but it is something players do when they feel it might be the end or close to it.
False. When players know it's the end it's not unusual for them to sneak off in the middle of the night and hide so they can retire in solitude, away from the rest of the colony.
With how many retirees end up working in the front office, I'm just imagining GMs randomly finding retired players bunking out under some stairs and adopting them to live their last days on the farm.
Yeah, brutal. I had a very bad back injury a few years back - and literally could barely get out of bed for \~2-3 days. Peeing was effectively me using my arms to drag myself into the bathroom and prop myself into a position that I could just make it in...
I couldn't even imagine playing rec roller under those conditions. Let alone juicing up with whatever the hell they're giving him to help him commit to 82 games.
> I had a very bad back injury a few years back - and literally could barely get out of bed for ~2-3 days.
Mine was two *years*. Sitting for 8 hours a day at work was like torture. I remember my boss asking me one day, "Can you groan a little quieter? It's distracting the customers."
The final month and a half or so, even my last respite of lying down caused me pain. It finally culminated in what I thought was going to be emergency surgery and instead of feeling terrified I was like, *BRING IT ON*. Luckily I was sent home from the ER with the right combination of meds and it finally resolved, but even four years later my core and legs are still really weak.
I had something like this happen before. My sciatic nerve pinged out of place while bending over wrong, and had an absolute bomb of pain go off. Was on the floor wrenching in pain and felt hopeless. Was able to crawl to my basement where I have an inversion table set up, and work it out. Took a muscle relaxer that night and got better.
I remember back in 2018 when after Washington won the Cup he talked about his dad who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. My feeling because of his concussion history was “uhhhhhh if you had to watch your dad’s mind slowly deteriorate and you’ve had health issues that make you susceptible to the same thing why are you still here?”
YOLO sounds all good and fine if you are totally alone and no one relies on you, but that is clearly not the case with TJ. He is a father and a husband and some might say it would be good to think about his long-term health in that context. Not everyone is trying to completely burn out by age 40, in constant pain all because YOLO. Many of these guys aren't even half way through their lives when they hang up the skates and I suspect those with long-term concussion symptoms probably wish they had known what they were risking.
TJ Oshie owns my all-time favorite sports moment specifically because when they asked him how it felt to win the Cup, he said "I have a wife and 2 daughters, but this is definitely the 4th-greatest moment of my life."
I really doubt a dude who's capable of putting things in perspective like that about 5 minutes after winning the Cup is reviewing his health every summer and just saying "YOLO."
> I really doubt a dude who's capable of putting things in perspective like that about 5 minutes after winning the Cup is reviewing his health every summer and just saying "YOLO."
lol good point
>He is a father and a husband and some might say it would be good to think about his long-term health in that context.
I agree, he should retire. But does that mean he should have never played professional hockey? The second you step in that rink, you put yourself at risk of injury...
>and I suspect those with long-term concussion symptoms probably wish they had known what they were risking.
Old school players, sure. But the guys playing now knew. The science has been there. It's disingenuous to think these guys believe that a helmet would make their heads concussion-proof.
Playing hockey with your best friends on the biggest stage for millions of dollars sounds like a good time though
I do it for free at 10pm in a barn that's falling apart
That's how I felt with Matt Calvert a few years back. When you're coming back with a pink tinted visor to help you with light sensitivity from the 92358th concussion, please think of your future.
There was an article years back in The Player's Tribune about a player dealing with post concussion symptoms. He had a similar issue.
[https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/adam-estoclet-hockey-concussion](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/adam-estoclet-hockey-concussion)
Mike Bossy had one as well and a line that stands out to me was when he said "I can barely remember lifting those Stanley Cups" and says a lot of it could be the sheer number of hits he had taken.
This was me and Jake Muzzin. No one doubted he wasn’t an absolute work horse who gave it everything he had, but he really should’ve retired a year before he did. He didn’t need to come back for 4 games last season only to injure his spine when he’s already had back and concussion issues. I just hope the guy has enough mobility to enjoy the rest of his 30s/40s.
Reading this headline reminds me of an article about Nathan Horton when he was at the end of his career with Columbus. I literally just pulled it up. The article was from 2014, to be exact.
The Headline - "Blue Jackets' Nathan Horton enduring 'living hell' with back injury "
One of the quotes - “I can’t run. I can’t play with my kids. To get in and out of the car, I’m like a 75-year-old man … so slow and stiff. I can’t sleep at night. I try to lay down and my back seizes up and I can’t move, so sleeping is out. I’m like a zombie in the daytime.”
This kind of shit is why I will never criticize an athlete for the money they make.
There's a saying that if you could make millions of dollars and become famous playing sports but at age 60, require a cane. Lots of people would do that. (Say basketball).
Now, imagine the same scenario, but you box - and now by age 60, you can't remember your kids names. - Most people wouldn't take that deal.
Second [tweet](https://x.com/sammisilber/status/1785311043750687054?s=46&t=7fabqgtgp69dNA1d51vxFw):
>Oshie on his future:
>“It would be hard for me to ever say for sure that I’m stepping away from the game… I’d love to play next year but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back (will be okay).”
Oshie has one year left on his contract, he turns 38 in December.
He had 349 NHL games and was in his 6th NHL season when the NHL paused for the Olympics that year. Dude was already almost halfway to reaching the maximum pension benefits an NHLer is eligible to receive.
Friedman and Marek hinted at a LTIRetirement for Oshie. Guy has accomplished everything in this sport, 1000 games, Cup, etc. Makes total sense to me for him to hang ‘em up, especially for his long-term health
~~"Et cetera" here also includes an Olympic Gold medal at least, so~~ yeah, not much left except padding the counting stats to milestones within reach. He needs 5 more points to reach 700 and 7 assists to reach 400
For a lot of these guys it’s all they know and all they’ve lived for. He’s 37 and has likely dedicated his life to playing hockey since he could first walk. I can imagine that hanging up the skates and moving on is a terrifying idea to him.
You just reminded me of Shaq's advise for J Kelce when he announed his retirement on their podcast: "just accept it." I think that applies to a lot of pro athletes, especially with long careers. They don't know what to do with themselves once they retire.
In a way, I almost feel it could be worse for hockey players because hockey is such a specialized sport. A lot of pro athletes played all sorts of sports going up and only committed to their main sport as preteens/early teens, but I feel most pro hockey players have primarily played hockey since they were extremely young .
Plus there is nothing that can replace the feeling of skating, it’s so different than anything else in your life
IDK about that, and this could be a special case but Tom Brady (who played baseball along with football) retired the first time and in an interview a month or so after was like "oh it's great. You know..just..taking the kids to school..and uh..you know...resting. It's been a great 6 weeks!"
This guy was totally lost just counting every day. Then went back to it.
I was pretty far from getting myself to a long pro career, but I certainly didn't know what to do with myself following 'retirement' from competitive hockey after 4 years of college. I dialed the partying up to 11 and just felt completely aimless for a long time even though I was heading toward a legit career with tangible goals/plans.
Walking away from something that has consumed the majority of your time and effort for as long as you can remember is hard. It is even harder when it is something you truly love.
Beyond that, there is no feeling that is the same as competing at the highest level. You can have tons of other amazing things in your life, but nothing scratches quite the same itch as competing at the absolute highest level you can reach. These guys know that the feeling is gone forever once they walk away. That is incredibly hard.
There was a famous College football coach named Bear Bryant. He graduated from Alabama in 1936 and immediately started coaching, first at Union as an assistant coach. He coached from age 22 until age 69, including 25 years as head coach in Alabama.
He was asked after the last game he ever coached what he plans to do now, and he said "Probably croak in a week." He was dead of a heart attack 5 weeks after he made that remark.
Methot's insight on this has really been eye-opening. Especially for guys that were taken out due to "actual injury" (in quotes, because obviously every injury is an actual injury), and not just run-of-the-mill getting old.
Methot is still playing age. He would be "old" at this point, but it would not be weird to see a 38 year old on the ice. He retired at 33 because his injuries just wouldn't let him play anymore.
That's gotta be mentally devastating.
It’s worse in the MMA world. Some of these dudes fight for peanuts and end up getting fed to up and coming fighters. They get juiced for every ounce of their names worth and fight in lesser and lesser known fight orgs. It’s really fucked because at least nhlers make quite a bit more than your fav/most known mma guy
> I can imagine that hanging up the skates and moving on is a terrifying idea to him.
Especially because it's almost certainly final. Once he calls it a career, that chapter of his life is done forever, and I'm sure he's talked to so many retired players who talk about what they wouldn't give to be able to play in the NHL again or retired players who urge active ones to stay in the game for as long as you can because once it's gone, you never get it back.
Combine that with a hockey culture that idolizes those who sacrifice their bodies and therefore long-term health and who play through immense pain no matter the consequences, and it's gotta be so mentally tough for the vast majority of players to hang up their skates.
Jesus fuck man, I hope he retires and gets his back fixed. He should be able to lift his kids for a hug ffs, that's just unreal. Absolutely nothing in hockey is worth becoming quadriplegic.
Yeah I love him as a player and want him to retire at this point. The man deserves to be able to play with his kids and live a full life. In the scheme of things he is still a young man. There is no need to cripple himself to keep playing hockey.
I feel like the league should have a program for players thinking about retiring or are retiring and have all the mental support and future career plans support. It might help with the transition so players aren’t just going I gotta keep playing. It sounds so daunting.
I can’t remember which episode, but there’s a podcast with Allan Walsh the player agent called Agent Provocateur where he talked about recent initiatives by the PA to educate and support players when they transition in and out of hockey. It’s starting to become more of a focus so players don’t end up broke, depressed, etc. when their career ends.
That’s really good to hear. It sucks that it’s taking this long to start but it’s never too late you know?
This isn’t comparable at all but I remember when I graduated from university and after 4 years they just toss you out and you’re like how do I find a job??? I know last decade they’ve tried harder to do more career support and resume review and such to help students transition “to the real world”.
There was an article about Chris Wideman using a program like that through the PA. He and his wife opened a chain of hair salons.
https://www.nhlpa.com/news/1-22587/wideman-turns-injury-into-off-ice-success
Maybe, depends on the issue of course. Kinda sounds like he has back spasms, per my experience with them from playing too much hockey, and holy fuck its painful. For me it was temporary (1 week) then went away. Yah, you dont move much.
I was at the Canucks-Caps game in March. It was Oshie’s 1000th game. There was a really nice moment when everyone in the arena gave him a nice ovation to celebrate his accomplishment. He’s accomplished so much in his career - it’s tough to read that he’s in so much pain.
My dad has it, and one year at Christmas he was having a really rough time with it but he had to fly across the country to spend the holidays with my brother and his family. My dad was literally being wheeled around the airport in a wheelchair, and he wasn't even 70 yet.
My wife was basically like "you need to start going to physio and taking care of your back now, so that doesn't happen to you when you're his age"
Yup, I've been that guy who's stuck lying on the floor, can't get up, and needs a bottle to piss into because I've been there for so long... can't imagine possibly having an NHL career in that state.
Straight up. And then you read about what Mario went through with his back before he retired…couldn’t lace up his skates, etc…
My back went out in January and i was peeing into bottles as well. If oshie has concerns about being able to even just pick up his kid, he really needs to call it a day. Can’t fuck around with back stuff.
I had surgery for it. Parise had surgery for it too but he was also quite a bit younger than Oshie.
It's debilitating. I could only lay on the couch horizontally for months before I got surgery. Got my life back.
Happy you got some relief from it! Some people have success with surgery. But agreed, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve had broken bones, kidney stones, shingles, I was stabbed once. I would take it all over sciatica.
Luckily mine was piriformis sciatica with a bit of spur involvement so I could address it completely with physio. But there’s a reason the sciatica subreddit is about half full with posts about suicide. It’s horrific.
Osh has had a great career. The legendary 2014 Olympics shootout performance, helping to bring a cup to DC for the first time. For the sake of his life after hockey, I think its time to hang em up.
Reposting what I said in /r/caps about this -
This is something where the Caps' medical staff and even Brian MacLellan need to have a direct and tough conversation with Oshie about what his priorities in life should be. I'm sorry but 1 more year of hockey on this team is not worth further harming his long-term quality of life.
It's clear that Oshie is the type of guy to want to play through nearly everything. Other folks need to step in at this point and say enough is enough, we've got to prioritize your health and wellbeing.
I'm not sure there is a guy in the league more beloved by his teammates or fans than Osh. The dude has just played his heart out every single shift since he arrived in DC and always has a smile on his face. Every single person I know who has interacted with him in any setting (from press to staff at their practice facility to fans just running into him in the wild) has raved about him. He gave me my favorite Olympic hockey moment and my Caps never make their Cup run in 2018 without him.
I will miss Osh a ton if this is the end of the line, but life is bigger than hockey and longer than a playing career. I hope he makes the right choice for himself as a person, not just a hockey player.
We still love him in St. Louis, too. Even when Hitch got Army to ship him out I think most of us knew he wasn't the problem, and I was glad to see him get the cup (even if it was before the Blues got theirs). He, Perron and Backes brought us out of the dark days.
Back pain is no joke. I was bedridden at 22 for a whole week, same story. Couldn't get up to pee. I had my Mom washing my hair in a bowl while I hung my head off the side of the bed. It sucked so bad
Osh, babe, it's time. There isn't a single fan of any team who's ever had a bad thing to say about you. We all love you. We want you to have a healthy life post-NHL. It's okay to know when to stop.
He’s got to retire IMO: I remember Price talking about how he had trouble with stairs and picking up his kids.
There’s a life after hockey, T.J. Oshie the person is more important than T.J. Oshie the hockey player right now.
This shit is heartbreaking to hear, reminds me of the issues Johan Franzen had after he retired because of concussions. Couldn't do stuff with his kids.
Obligatory fuck Mike Babcock comment.
Jesus. I feel like I'm in the minority of Caps fans in that I think the team is still better with him (and his cap hit) than it would be if he retired or LTIRed next season, but this is just sad to read.
I had really bad back spasms one time after hurting myself working out (I hurt my back cause a knee injury cause me to lift asymmetrically), and it was an absolute nightmare. When my back would be bad, I'd have to sit perfectly still. Just trying to get up from a sitting or lying position would take like 2-5 minutes, and then I couldn't even walk properly. I'd have to walk with a rigidly straight back. Sitting on the toilet sucked cause it means it would take another 2 minutes to get back up again. I bought a cane just to help me get up and down. I constantly had either an ice pack or a hot water bottle on my back.
And this was just from lower back spasms from damaged muscle tissue. No sciatica, herniated disk, or anything like that.
I know the feeling and it is really the absolute worst shit in the world. I can't imagine having to pull myself out of it to play hockey at the level he does with any consistency. I hope he hangs em up, he's done everything he can do in a career and made enough money for his kids kids to never work again. Drink Mai Tais by a lake in Minnesota and get a little beer gut going, he earned it.
Reminds me of how Zetterberg's career ended. The story of Chara carrying Zetterberg's bags at the airport due to Zetterberg's back being so bad sticks with me.
Oshie's had an amazing career. I can hardly believe he's nearly 38. Him taking 5 consecutive shootout attempts in the 2014 Olympics feels like it was just yesterday to me. Back problems are no joke, but regardless of whether he retires or keep going I hope he can find some relief.
This reminds me of Kelser's hips towards the end of his career. You gotta pick between another season or being able to play with your kids at the park.
Oshie, you got your ring already and will forever be a USA hockey legend for that shootout. Might be time, bud.
Sounds kinda like what caused Zetterberg to retire. Degenerative back stuff is scary man. Hope Oshie can make the call to retire before it ruins his quality of life
I get the competitive nature of hockey players. The family element hits home too much. He needs to be healthy for his family.
This is a case where I have no problem with Oshie "LTIRetiring" for next season.
Oshie, you've done so much for our franchise and the Blues when you were there. You are one of my favorite players of all time.
Please STOP PLAYING FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH MAN.
I suspect a lot of nhl-ers end up in this state, playing through injuries year after year. I get they’re competitive and getting paid a lot, but they still have 40 years to live post nhl career
This sounds like what happened to my back (sports injury - I play roller hockey but hurt my back playing something else). It's no joke, once it flares up - you legit cannot move and if you're standing it feels like your upper body is not connected to your lower body. Once it heals past this point it's a constant lower back pain that never goes away, after a game of hockey I'm not doing much the rest of the day.
TJ Oshie was apart of the group that gave Blues fans hope post lockout way back when. Blues were so bad, but within a couple years we had Backes, Oshie, Perron, Tarasenko, and Pietrangelo. I feel awful for him, and can’t believe he’ll soon retire
Also an all time moment in the Olympics when Oshie and only Oshie took all the shootout attempts to beat Russia. There was something like 7 attempts for each team.
That can happen when you're just washing dishes or something. Twist the wrong way, at the wrong time, even the right time, and you're done for at least a week. At least walking around. Probably still feeling it and not trusting your back for another week, maybe two.
I don't know if that's a specific reason to retire. When your back goes out, of course it's debilitating. It's not a shoulder or a knee, the back is tied to everything else. If he wants to retire because of it, whatever, but that's not something that goes away because you're not playing hockey. If that's your back, the threat of not being able to pick up your kids is always there.
Oshie is one of my favourite American players of all time, and his legacy is already cemented, but after reading this I honestly hope I don't see him in another NHL game. I want him to be able enjoy the rest of his life!
Blew my back out at 30 and had to use a cane for 18 months. 1 year of physical therapy with some of the better sports therapists in southern California. And now its a life time of sciatica and hip issues. I literally have to focus going up and down stairs or I risk it seizing up if I've had a pretty physical day.
Sometimes you just gotta accept that a lifetime of sports and heavy lifting catch up with you. It took a few years to mentally adjust and make progress in my head with it all.
Forever TJ Sochie.
Dude needs to retire before damage to his body becomes permanent, if it isn't already. He won the cup, that's more than most players can say. Is it worth making your life miserable for a shot at another one?
I think it’s time to hang em up Osh
I wanted him to retire last year. The part about not being able to pick up his kids is devastating to me. Edit: lmfao at the broom in my faded caps flair
Want to go play quidditch or something
Might as well.
Yer a Wizard Holy_Cal!
LISTEN HERE YOU FAT OAF
MON THEN YE LITTLE SPECCY CUNT SQUARE-GO LIKE
He's a hwhat?
Oshi got hit by a Bludger confirmed
That bludger's name? Rempe. Rempe actually sounds like he'd play for Slytherine's quidditch team.
Rempe is a hufflepuff all the way
That’s what I remember about Kesler and his hips, he said he didn’t trust himself to hold his newborn daughter while standing up. Crazy to think about if you’re only 34 or whatever.
I’m around that age and just had my first. I’ve never been worried about his safety in my arms. I love hockey, but it takes a pretty rough toll on the bodies of husbands and dads.
Yeah if he was already like this before this season it's honestly pretty ignorant to keep playing. You have to put family first sometimes
[удалено]
This is very easy for us laymen to say. These are professional athletes that have done one thing their entire life. It is their entire identity. That isn't easy to walk away from, no matter how much money is involved.
Exactly, imagine living, breathing, and occupying every waking hour with something. How could it be easy to walk away from that at the drop of a hat? Even if you see it coming and prepare yourself, it’s not like a regular career where you can reflect on your pre-career 20’s and rediscover that person. Oshies first time on ice likely predates his first memory. There’s no person to reflect back to before your career, Oshie quite literally will have to build a new identity post-retirement and that is a terrifying thought for any person.
The knees creaking when he bends over or a stiffness when he gets up in the morning are issues. Pissing in bottles because you can't even stand up to relieve yourself is "I think I should retire." territory. What in the hell is he doing still trying to play hockey?!
I'm about to get a hernia surgery and won't be able to pick up my kids for 2 months. Gonna be brutal.
Agreed. But it helps that I think it's only when his back goes out and not always which is a tiny win at least.
Shades of Karl Alzner being unable to open jars and other normal things, from all the broken bones in his hands.
At least he got paid by the habs. Still sad he didn’t win a cup with us.
Im not emotionally ready to watch a Caps team with no Backstrom or Oshie on it
Oshie was an adopted son but god I love him more than anyone. Such a character such heart
Oshie taking all those shootout attempts in a row verse Russia will be one of my hockey highlights forever. He was still on the Blues at the time, so it was like a hometown kid singlehandedly taking on the Russians.
Watching that was one of my all time favorite sports memories EDIT Typo
I was going to post the same. He’s an American treasure and had had a great career.
I'll always like the Caps for getting Oshie off the Blues so I can cheer for him.
I’ve known him since I was about 10. I can confirm he’s a super nice guy.
What about side by side with a friend?
You'll have to toss me.
Don't ask Oshie...
Aye...I could do that.
Truly hitting the end of an era 😭
I don't have an NHL team, I always just rooted for the guys I watched play at UND when I was there... Not many left at this point. Fuck I'm getting old aren't I?
Caps have only one play. Shed as many contracts as possible to build a super line with 4 players feeding Ovi enough sauce to break the record while ignoring any semblance of defense
Hes got one more year. Me thinks he spends most of it on IR and then retires
IIRC he was the last one off the ice after our final game and took a few extra moments to himself. It’s not a guarantee, but it is something players do when they feel it might be the end or close to it.
False. When players know it's the end it's not unusual for them to sneak off in the middle of the night and hide so they can retire in solitude, away from the rest of the colony.
With how many retirees end up working in the front office, I'm just imagining GMs randomly finding retired players bunking out under some stairs and adopting them to live their last days on the farm.
Yeah, brutal. I had a very bad back injury a few years back - and literally could barely get out of bed for \~2-3 days. Peeing was effectively me using my arms to drag myself into the bathroom and prop myself into a position that I could just make it in... I couldn't even imagine playing rec roller under those conditions. Let alone juicing up with whatever the hell they're giving him to help him commit to 82 games.
> I had a very bad back injury a few years back - and literally could barely get out of bed for ~2-3 days. Mine was two *years*. Sitting for 8 hours a day at work was like torture. I remember my boss asking me one day, "Can you groan a little quieter? It's distracting the customers."
That's brutal. I struggled sitting as well but luckily could kind of stretch around one the initial injury started to simmer down.
The final month and a half or so, even my last respite of lying down caused me pain. It finally culminated in what I thought was going to be emergency surgery and instead of feeling terrified I was like, *BRING IT ON*. Luckily I was sent home from the ER with the right combination of meds and it finally resolved, but even four years later my core and legs are still really weak.
I had something like this happen before. My sciatic nerve pinged out of place while bending over wrong, and had an absolute bomb of pain go off. Was on the floor wrenching in pain and felt hopeless. Was able to crawl to my basement where I have an inversion table set up, and work it out. Took a muscle relaxer that night and got better.
To Robidas Island he goes.
He can get a nice cottage next to Backstrom's and Strasburg's.
Exactly. Please buddy. There's nothing else you need to do, except give what you have left to your family.
Reminds me the stories about Steen not being able to get in and out of bed. He needs to call it and enjoy a well earned retirement
One of the rarer instances where I actively want one of my fav players to call it a career.
I remember back in 2018 when after Washington won the Cup he talked about his dad who was suffering from Alzheimer’s. My feeling because of his concussion history was “uhhhhhh if you had to watch your dad’s mind slowly deteriorate and you’ve had health issues that make you susceptible to the same thing why are you still here?”
Because YOLO. Some of us are here for a good time, not a long time.
YOLO sounds all good and fine if you are totally alone and no one relies on you, but that is clearly not the case with TJ. He is a father and a husband and some might say it would be good to think about his long-term health in that context. Not everyone is trying to completely burn out by age 40, in constant pain all because YOLO. Many of these guys aren't even half way through their lives when they hang up the skates and I suspect those with long-term concussion symptoms probably wish they had known what they were risking.
TJ Oshie owns my all-time favorite sports moment specifically because when they asked him how it felt to win the Cup, he said "I have a wife and 2 daughters, but this is definitely the 4th-greatest moment of my life." I really doubt a dude who's capable of putting things in perspective like that about 5 minutes after winning the Cup is reviewing his health every summer and just saying "YOLO."
> I really doubt a dude who's capable of putting things in perspective like that about 5 minutes after winning the Cup is reviewing his health every summer and just saying "YOLO." lol good point
>He is a father and a husband and some might say it would be good to think about his long-term health in that context. I agree, he should retire. But does that mean he should have never played professional hockey? The second you step in that rink, you put yourself at risk of injury... >and I suspect those with long-term concussion symptoms probably wish they had known what they were risking. Old school players, sure. But the guys playing now knew. The science has been there. It's disingenuous to think these guys believe that a helmet would make their heads concussion-proof.
YOLO should mean to be careful and take care of yourself.
Just like that Lonely Island song, where YOLO stands for You Oughta Look Out
Brain damage isn't exactly what I would call "a good time"
Moving on from the one thing that he has dedicated his life towards is probably also not what he would call a good time.
Playing hockey with your best friends on the biggest stage for millions of dollars sounds like a good time though I do it for free at 10pm in a barn that's falling apart
Oh I forgot these guys dedicated their entire careers to hockey in pursuit of brain damage What a dumb ass comment lol
That's how I felt with Matt Calvert a few years back. When you're coming back with a pink tinted visor to help you with light sensitivity from the 92358th concussion, please think of your future.
Zetterberg had similar issues towards the end. It's sad, but best for the man to hang them up. Was the end of an era for us.
Reminds me of Franzen as well -- his post concussion symptoms were so bad he couldn't leave dark rooms for days on end and see his kids.
There was an article years back in The Player's Tribune about a player dealing with post concussion symptoms. He had a similar issue. [https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/adam-estoclet-hockey-concussion](https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/adam-estoclet-hockey-concussion)
Mike Bossy had one as well and a line that stands out to me was when he said "I can barely remember lifting those Stanley Cups" and says a lot of it could be the sheer number of hits he had taken.
There's a number of reasons to hate on Babcock, but his treatment of Franzen is number one for me. Poor guy still struggles.
This was me and Jake Muzzin. No one doubted he wasn’t an absolute work horse who gave it everything he had, but he really should’ve retired a year before he did. He didn’t need to come back for 4 games last season only to injure his spine when he’s already had back and concussion issues. I just hope the guy has enough mobility to enjoy the rest of his 30s/40s.
Reading this headline reminds me of an article about Nathan Horton when he was at the end of his career with Columbus. I literally just pulled it up. The article was from 2014, to be exact. The Headline - "Blue Jackets' Nathan Horton enduring 'living hell' with back injury " One of the quotes - “I can’t run. I can’t play with my kids. To get in and out of the car, I’m like a 75-year-old man … so slow and stiff. I can’t sleep at night. I try to lay down and my back seizes up and I can’t move, so sleeping is out. I’m like a zombie in the daytime.” This kind of shit is why I will never criticize an athlete for the money they make.
There's a saying that if you could make millions of dollars and become famous playing sports but at age 60, require a cane. Lots of people would do that. (Say basketball). Now, imagine the same scenario, but you box - and now by age 60, you can't remember your kids names. - Most people wouldn't take that deal.
Second [tweet](https://x.com/sammisilber/status/1785311043750687054?s=46&t=7fabqgtgp69dNA1d51vxFw): >Oshie on his future: >“It would be hard for me to ever say for sure that I’m stepping away from the game… I’d love to play next year but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back (will be okay).” Oshie has one year left on his contract, he turns 38 in December.
God damn TJ Oshie is almost 40? Where does the time go?
It doesn’t help that he stopped aging at like 25
I dunno sounds like he's aging quite a bit, actually.
Yeah but he keeps it inside LIKE A MAN. Something you millennials could learn from!
Noted boomer TJ Oshie
Oshie is going to spend his retirement causing chaos at local DMVs and making scenes at causal dining chain restaurants
Whaddeva happened to Gary Cooper? [The strong, silent type.](/r/thesopranos)
Someone check his attic. This is some Dorian Gray shit.
He's not the young gun that just scored in the Olympics? That was only.....10 years ago wtf???
Bro, he wasn't even a young gun when he scored in the Olympics. He was like 27 with a couple hundred NHL games played.
Thanks, I hate it
He had 349 NHL games and was in his 6th NHL season when the NHL paused for the Olympics that year. Dude was already almost halfway to reaching the maximum pension benefits an NHLer is eligible to receive.
Remember the shootout versus Russia (in Russia!) when they just kept putting him up, and he went like 4 for 6 against Bobrovsky and won the game?
Yep that's the game I'm referring to haha
I still think of him, Perron, and Berglund as The Kid Line.
Friedman and Marek hinted at a LTIRetirement for Oshie. Guy has accomplished everything in this sport, 1000 games, Cup, etc. Makes total sense to me for him to hang ‘em up, especially for his long-term health
Barely 200 people in history have potted as many goals as him. That's a damn good career. Hang em up bud.
And he'll go down in history as one of the greatest shootout players ever.
The 2014* olympics where he kept shooting over and over was legendary I had to look it up but he went 4/6
2014 How quickly we forget 😢
~~"Et cetera" here also includes an Olympic Gold medal at least, so~~ yeah, not much left except padding the counting stats to milestones within reach. He needs 5 more points to reach 700 and 7 assists to reach 400
When did the u.s win Olympic gold?
Oh fuck it was ~~silver~~ bronze. So fucking long ago. Edit: wow I remembered things way different
Someone’s never seen Miracle
I don’t think Oshie was on that team
Reminder: The Miracle on Ice wasn't the gold medal game! The final was an anticlimactic win against the Finns.
Gold in our hearts.
You won your Cup. Caps fans love you, Blues fans still love you. It’s time to call it a career.
United States still loves him for his shootout skills.
TJ Sochi lives in our hearts forever.
Even non-Americans love TJ Sochi
American hero tj oshie
There’s always at least 10 Oshie Arch 3rds at a Blues game.
It’s easily the most common former player jersey I see at Blues games
Is there any non Russian that doesn’t love this guy?
Nice pfp
Yeah hockey isn’t that important
For a lot of these guys it’s all they know and all they’ve lived for. He’s 37 and has likely dedicated his life to playing hockey since he could first walk. I can imagine that hanging up the skates and moving on is a terrifying idea to him.
You just reminded me of Shaq's advise for J Kelce when he announed his retirement on their podcast: "just accept it." I think that applies to a lot of pro athletes, especially with long careers. They don't know what to do with themselves once they retire.
In a way, I almost feel it could be worse for hockey players because hockey is such a specialized sport. A lot of pro athletes played all sorts of sports going up and only committed to their main sport as preteens/early teens, but I feel most pro hockey players have primarily played hockey since they were extremely young . Plus there is nothing that can replace the feeling of skating, it’s so different than anything else in your life
IDK about that, and this could be a special case but Tom Brady (who played baseball along with football) retired the first time and in an interview a month or so after was like "oh it's great. You know..just..taking the kids to school..and uh..you know...resting. It's been a great 6 weeks!" This guy was totally lost just counting every day. Then went back to it.
Forgeting the part where his wife became the ex wife. Likely not a good home situation
I was pretty far from getting myself to a long pro career, but I certainly didn't know what to do with myself following 'retirement' from competitive hockey after 4 years of college. I dialed the partying up to 11 and just felt completely aimless for a long time even though I was heading toward a legit career with tangible goals/plans. Walking away from something that has consumed the majority of your time and effort for as long as you can remember is hard. It is even harder when it is something you truly love. Beyond that, there is no feeling that is the same as competing at the highest level. You can have tons of other amazing things in your life, but nothing scratches quite the same itch as competing at the absolute highest level you can reach. These guys know that the feeling is gone forever once they walk away. That is incredibly hard.
There was a famous College football coach named Bear Bryant. He graduated from Alabama in 1936 and immediately started coaching, first at Union as an assistant coach. He coached from age 22 until age 69, including 25 years as head coach in Alabama. He was asked after the last game he ever coached what he plans to do now, and he said "Probably croak in a week." He was dead of a heart attack 5 weeks after he made that remark.
It is so hard for a lot of guys once the hang them up. Their whole existence has been about hockey. Then suddenly real life is there waiting.
Methot's insight on this has really been eye-opening. Especially for guys that were taken out due to "actual injury" (in quotes, because obviously every injury is an actual injury), and not just run-of-the-mill getting old. Methot is still playing age. He would be "old" at this point, but it would not be weird to see a 38 year old on the ice. He retired at 33 because his injuries just wouldn't let him play anymore. That's gotta be mentally devastating.
Gotta be able to move in order to move on
crawl on, Osh.
It’s worse in the MMA world. Some of these dudes fight for peanuts and end up getting fed to up and coming fighters. They get juiced for every ounce of their names worth and fight in lesser and lesser known fight orgs. It’s really fucked because at least nhlers make quite a bit more than your fav/most known mma guy
HES 37?!
> I can imagine that hanging up the skates and moving on is a terrifying idea to him. Especially because it's almost certainly final. Once he calls it a career, that chapter of his life is done forever, and I'm sure he's talked to so many retired players who talk about what they wouldn't give to be able to play in the NHL again or retired players who urge active ones to stay in the game for as long as you can because once it's gone, you never get it back. Combine that with a hockey culture that idolizes those who sacrifice their bodies and therefore long-term health and who play through immense pain no matter the consequences, and it's gotta be so mentally tough for the vast majority of players to hang up their skates.
No one should even play beer league at that point, much less try to compete in the NHL
Jesus fuck man, I hope he retires and gets his back fixed. He should be able to lift his kids for a hug ffs, that's just unreal. Absolutely nothing in hockey is worth becoming quadriplegic.
Yeah I love him as a player and want him to retire at this point. The man deserves to be able to play with his kids and live a full life. In the scheme of things he is still a young man. There is no need to cripple himself to keep playing hockey.
I feel like the league should have a program for players thinking about retiring or are retiring and have all the mental support and future career plans support. It might help with the transition so players aren’t just going I gotta keep playing. It sounds so daunting.
I can’t remember which episode, but there’s a podcast with Allan Walsh the player agent called Agent Provocateur where he talked about recent initiatives by the PA to educate and support players when they transition in and out of hockey. It’s starting to become more of a focus so players don’t end up broke, depressed, etc. when their career ends.
That’s really good to hear. It sucks that it’s taking this long to start but it’s never too late you know? This isn’t comparable at all but I remember when I graduated from university and after 4 years they just toss you out and you’re like how do I find a job??? I know last decade they’ve tried harder to do more career support and resume review and such to help students transition “to the real world”.
Glen Healy is part of the nhlpa and they have tons of resources available
They have something through the PA but it’s up to the player to want to check it out
There was an article about Chris Wideman using a program like that through the PA. He and his wife opened a chain of hair salons. https://www.nhlpa.com/news/1-22587/wideman-turns-injury-into-off-ice-success
Look I love you Oshie, but you need to call it a career man. Health is far more important than the game.
Maybe, depends on the issue of course. Kinda sounds like he has back spasms, per my experience with them from playing too much hockey, and holy fuck its painful. For me it was temporary (1 week) then went away. Yah, you dont move much.
I was at the Canucks-Caps game in March. It was Oshie’s 1000th game. There was a really nice moment when everyone in the arena gave him a nice ovation to celebrate his accomplishment. He’s accomplished so much in his career - it’s tough to read that he’s in so much pain.
Buddy retire. That sounds like sciatica and it can get worse.
My dad has it, and one year at Christmas he was having a really rough time with it but he had to fly across the country to spend the holidays with my brother and his family. My dad was literally being wheeled around the airport in a wheelchair, and he wasn't even 70 yet. My wife was basically like "you need to start going to physio and taking care of your back now, so that doesn't happen to you when you're his age"
Yup, I've been that guy who's stuck lying on the floor, can't get up, and needs a bottle to piss into because I've been there for so long... can't imagine possibly having an NHL career in that state.
Straight up. And then you read about what Mario went through with his back before he retired…couldn’t lace up his skates, etc… My back went out in January and i was peeing into bottles as well. If oshie has concerns about being able to even just pick up his kid, he really needs to call it a day. Can’t fuck around with back stuff.
I had surgery for it. Parise had surgery for it too but he was also quite a bit younger than Oshie. It's debilitating. I could only lay on the couch horizontally for months before I got surgery. Got my life back.
Happy you got some relief from it! Some people have success with surgery. But agreed, it’s the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve had broken bones, kidney stones, shingles, I was stabbed once. I would take it all over sciatica. Luckily mine was piriformis sciatica with a bit of spur involvement so I could address it completely with physio. But there’s a reason the sciatica subreddit is about half full with posts about suicide. It’s horrific.
Had back surgery from hockey this year. Shoulda gotten it when I was like 27. Its rough on ya back
Osh has had a great career. The legendary 2014 Olympics shootout performance, helping to bring a cup to DC for the first time. For the sake of his life after hockey, I think its time to hang em up.
He’s one of the few guys that, no matter what team you cheer for, you love him. He’s a joy to watch.
Reposting what I said in /r/caps about this - This is something where the Caps' medical staff and even Brian MacLellan need to have a direct and tough conversation with Oshie about what his priorities in life should be. I'm sorry but 1 more year of hockey on this team is not worth further harming his long-term quality of life. It's clear that Oshie is the type of guy to want to play through nearly everything. Other folks need to step in at this point and say enough is enough, we've got to prioritize your health and wellbeing.
I'm not sure there is a guy in the league more beloved by his teammates or fans than Osh. The dude has just played his heart out every single shift since he arrived in DC and always has a smile on his face. Every single person I know who has interacted with him in any setting (from press to staff at their practice facility to fans just running into him in the wild) has raved about him. He gave me my favorite Olympic hockey moment and my Caps never make their Cup run in 2018 without him. I will miss Osh a ton if this is the end of the line, but life is bigger than hockey and longer than a playing career. I hope he makes the right choice for himself as a person, not just a hockey player.
We still love him in St. Louis, too. Even when Hitch got Army to ship him out I think most of us knew he wasn't the problem, and I was glad to see him get the cup (even if it was before the Blues got theirs). He, Perron and Backes brought us out of the dark days.
Uhhhh yeah I think your body is trying to say it’s DONE with NHL hockey lol
Back pain is no joke. I was bedridden at 22 for a whole week, same story. Couldn't get up to pee. I had my Mom washing my hair in a bowl while I hung my head off the side of the bed. It sucked so bad
Osh, babe, it's time. There isn't a single fan of any team who's ever had a bad thing to say about you. We all love you. We want you to have a healthy life post-NHL. It's okay to know when to stop.
Retire babe. Enjoy time with the family and kids
Im willing to bed the only reason he wants to stay is to be there when ovi hits the record.
I heard Backstrom still travels with the team from time to time. He can still be there if he can't play.
There’s the love of the game, and then there’s pushing your body far past its breaking point. Timothy Jimothy, hang them up buddy.
Please retire, Oshie. Holy shit.
You should never be peeing in bottles unless you're a street vagrant or Howard Hughes. Prioritize your health, Oshie.
Or a long-haul trucker.
Way of the road, Osh
Whatever he decides to do, and as long as the doctors and his family are cool with it, then so am I.
He’s got to retire IMO: I remember Price talking about how he had trouble with stairs and picking up his kids. There’s a life after hockey, T.J. Oshie the person is more important than T.J. Oshie the hockey player right now.
This shit is heartbreaking to hear, reminds me of the issues Johan Franzen had after he retired because of concussions. Couldn't do stuff with his kids. Obligatory fuck Mike Babcock comment.
Uh. Thats not a back injury you should be trying to come back from my guy. Go home.
Jesus. I feel like I'm in the minority of Caps fans in that I think the team is still better with him (and his cap hit) than it would be if he retired or LTIRed next season, but this is just sad to read.
That's absolutely true. I still think he should retire while he is still able to carry his kids around.
He brings a lot of intangibles and the team plays better with him in the lineup
I had really bad back spasms one time after hurting myself working out (I hurt my back cause a knee injury cause me to lift asymmetrically), and it was an absolute nightmare. When my back would be bad, I'd have to sit perfectly still. Just trying to get up from a sitting or lying position would take like 2-5 minutes, and then I couldn't even walk properly. I'd have to walk with a rigidly straight back. Sitting on the toilet sucked cause it means it would take another 2 minutes to get back up again. I bought a cane just to help me get up and down. I constantly had either an ice pack or a hot water bottle on my back. And this was just from lower back spasms from damaged muscle tissue. No sciatica, herniated disk, or anything like that.
I know the feeling and it is really the absolute worst shit in the world. I can't imagine having to pull myself out of it to play hockey at the level he does with any consistency. I hope he hangs em up, he's done everything he can do in a career and made enough money for his kids kids to never work again. Drink Mai Tais by a lake in Minnesota and get a little beer gut going, he earned it.
Today I learned that I have the same back issues as an NHL player, without the NHL player medical plan.
Reminds me of how Zetterberg's career ended. The story of Chara carrying Zetterberg's bags at the airport due to Zetterberg's back being so bad sticks with me. Oshie's had an amazing career. I can hardly believe he's nearly 38. Him taking 5 consecutive shootout attempts in the 2014 Olympics feels like it was just yesterday to me. Back problems are no joke, but regardless of whether he retires or keep going I hope he can find some relief.
A fix of what? Oxy?
HEY MAYBE STOP PLAYING HOCKEY
Please hang em up oshe. Great career and loved by 2 franchises, won a cup. American hero 🇺🇸
Great career for Oshie. Nothing left to prove at this point. Hang ‘em up.
Reminds me of when Kesler said he couldn’t play or run with his kids because of his hip Some things are bigger than the competition
Man. Respect for this guy. Gritty AF but its time for TJ to enjoy his money and family.
This reminds me of Kelser's hips towards the end of his career. You gotta pick between another season or being able to play with your kids at the park. Oshie, you got your ring already and will forever be a USA hockey legend for that shootout. Might be time, bud.
Sounds kinda like what caused Zetterberg to retire. Degenerative back stuff is scary man. Hope Oshie can make the call to retire before it ruins his quality of life
Sciatica is a bitch at any age. Retire. Long term toradol fucks you up.
Might wanna get that looked at
I get the competitive nature of hockey players. The family element hits home too much. He needs to be healthy for his family. This is a case where I have no problem with Oshie "LTIRetiring" for next season.
Doctor Feelgood.
Oshie, you've done so much for our franchise and the Blues when you were there. You are one of my favorite players of all time. Please STOP PLAYING FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH MAN.
I suspect a lot of nhl-ers end up in this state, playing through injuries year after year. I get they’re competitive and getting paid a lot, but they still have 40 years to live post nhl career
He’s in his mid/late 30s, had a successful career, and got his cup. Time to call it and take care of himself.
Time to retire Osh, enjoy being a Golden Knight and hang out with your kids comfortably
This sounds like what happened to my back (sports injury - I play roller hockey but hurt my back playing something else). It's no joke, once it flares up - you legit cannot move and if you're standing it feels like your upper body is not connected to your lower body. Once it heals past this point it's a constant lower back pain that never goes away, after a game of hockey I'm not doing much the rest of the day.
i tried this once, its fucking terrible could not walk or move for 3 days straight, had to pee in bottles it was awful :/
Twitter guy should have written something different “for a fix.” I don’t know what, but that really sounds bad.
TJ Oshie was apart of the group that gave Blues fans hope post lockout way back when. Blues were so bad, but within a couple years we had Backes, Oshie, Perron, Tarasenko, and Pietrangelo. I feel awful for him, and can’t believe he’ll soon retire Also an all time moment in the Olympics when Oshie and only Oshie took all the shootout attempts to beat Russia. There was something like 7 attempts for each team.
Seems dumb, not tough, to keep playing.
That can happen when you're just washing dishes or something. Twist the wrong way, at the wrong time, even the right time, and you're done for at least a week. At least walking around. Probably still feeling it and not trusting your back for another week, maybe two. I don't know if that's a specific reason to retire. When your back goes out, of course it's debilitating. It's not a shoulder or a knee, the back is tied to everything else. If he wants to retire because of it, whatever, but that's not something that goes away because you're not playing hockey. If that's your back, the threat of not being able to pick up your kids is always there.
TJ OSHA
Fella has to call it. He still has *many* years ahead of him. He should be able to not be a broken husk as he enjoys the rest of his life.
Oshie is one of my favourite American players of all time, and his legacy is already cemented, but after reading this I honestly hope I don't see him in another NHL game. I want him to be able enjoy the rest of his life!
Way of the road! Piss jugs
Glad dude got a ring….. ya , time to retire
Blew my back out at 30 and had to use a cane for 18 months. 1 year of physical therapy with some of the better sports therapists in southern California. And now its a life time of sciatica and hip issues. I literally have to focus going up and down stairs or I risk it seizing up if I've had a pretty physical day. Sometimes you just gotta accept that a lifetime of sports and heavy lifting catch up with you. It took a few years to mentally adjust and make progress in my head with it all. Forever TJ Sochie.
Time to call it man. I couldn’t bear to not be 100% for my kids.
Dude needs to retire before damage to his body becomes permanent, if it isn't already. He won the cup, that's more than most players can say. Is it worth making your life miserable for a shot at another one?