Capitals forward TJ Oshie was honored before the Seattle Seahawks’ fourth and final NFL preseason game against the Oakland Raiders, Thursday.
The Everett, Washington native raised the 12 Flag, the Seahawks homage to their raucous fans, before kickoff.
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The Stanley Cup champion and US Olympic player wore a number 12 Oshie jersey as he rose the flag in front of his wife Lauren, and a throng of supporters.
Here’s the video the Seahawks played before Oshie was announced to the crowd.
Washington native ✅
Stanley Cup Champion ✅
and now, 12 Flag raiser ✅Thank you @TJOshie77 for kicking off #OAKvsSEA! pic.twitter.com/FEU3Gemqk8
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 31, 2018
The significance of the 12 Flag is explained by Wikipedia.
The Seattle Seahawks retired the number 12 jersey on December 15, 1984, in honor of their fans. In 2003, the Seahawks installed a giant flagpole in the south end zone of what is now CenturyLink Field, and began a tradition of raising a giant flag with the number 12 on it in honor of the fans. Usually, a local celebrity or a season ticket holder raises the flag during pregame ceremonies. In recent years, 12th Man flags have been seen all over Seattle whenever the Seahawks make the playoffs, including atop the Space Needle. When the Seahawks took the field for Super Bowl XLVIII, they were led by LB Heath Farwell carrying the team’s 12th Man flag per team tradition.
The Seahawks’ 12th Man has twice set the Guinness World Record loudest crowd noise at a sporting event, first on September 15, 2013, registering 136.6 dB during a game against the San Francisco 49ers and again on December 2, 2013, during a Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, with a roar of 137.6 dB.
Oshie called the honor a “dream come true” on Instagram.
Headline photo: @tjoshie7
