When TJ Oshie got traded to the Capitals in early July for Troy Brouwer, Oshie was forced to sever ties with St. Louis, a team he spent roughly a quarter of his life with. Many Blues fans were sad to see the United States Olympian go. None more so than five-year-old Libby Lu, who I’m going to go ahead and say is Oshie’s biggest fan. Lu’s parents recorded her reaction to the news of Oshie’s departure and her breakdown went viral.
Oshie did his part to try and heal her wounds. Oshie surprised Lu during a live interview on SportsCenter and even sent her a tiny Caps jersey. On Saturday, ahead of the his first game back against his former team, Oshie met Lu in the bowels of Scottrade Center. Their interactions are so danged cute and the Caps captured the whole thing.
“I just saw Libby and her family,” Oshie said. “And I think I got four big hugs. It’s great. It means a lot to me that they can support me through the move. It just shows how good the support is, how good the hockey community is in St. Louis. Tough to leave, but great to have the support for sure.”
Lu gave Oshie a drawing. “You’re having fun [in this]. Look how scared I am,” Oshie joked.
Lu also made a big sign for Oshie that she’ll be holding during the game.
“I think maybe it will be emotional going out for warm-ups and during the national anthem and maybe the first couple of shifts,” Oshie said. “I think that with the time that’s gone by – it’s a full season almost – Washington feels like my new home now. It’s going to be weird going against some of my really good buddies – guys that were standing next to me at my wedding – but it’ll be fun. It’ll be a good battle.”
A 21-year-old Oshie debuted with the Blues on October 10, 2008, against the Nashville Predators. According to Mike Vogel, Oshie spent Friday night out with some of his old friends from the Blues organization. But out on the ice Saturday night, they’ll have to put their friendships aside for a few hours.
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