Ten years ago to the day, TJ Oshie cemented himself as an American sports hero.
On February 15 during the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Oshie went 4-for-6 in his shootout attempts to help down Team Russia 3-2 and secure Team USA a bye into the tournament’s quarterfinals.
Oshie had the chance to go five straight times to finish the game after scoring on his first attempt in the first round. In international play, unlike the NHL, only the first three shooters for a team are required to be different.
Once James van Riemsdyk and Joe Pavelski were stopped by Russia’s Sergei Bobrovsky, Oshie had his time to shine.
After Oshie and Ilya Kovalchuk were the only skaters to convert on their attempts, the fourth round started with both men missing. Russia then went back and forth between Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk while the USA stuck with just Oshie.
In the eighth round, Oshie converted and Kovalchuk did not. Jonathan Quick made four stops to earn the win in net.
10 years ago today @JonathanQuick32 saved my ass again and again. Cheers Quickie!
🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 #USA pic.twitter.com/oH0BX8TZLm— TJ Oshie (@TJOshie77) February 15, 2024
“It was pretty crazy,” Oshie told The Pioneer Press in 2018. “I imagined with how many good players we had on the team, especially in the shootout, that maybe they’d go away from me after I missed once or twice. Coach Bylsma kept going with it and I had a lot of help back there from Quickie.”
Oshie’s crazy feat even earned him direct congratulations from President Barrack Obama.
Congrats to T.J. Oshie and the U.S. men's hockey team on a huge win! Never stop believing in miracles. #GoTeamUSA -bo
— White House Archived (@ObamaWhiteHouse) February 15, 2014
Before the 2018-19 NHL season, Oshie met up with NHL Network’s Mike Rupp to discuss his shootout process.
“I’m concerned most about what I make the goalie do,” Oshie said. “My favorite move is a fake shot and then a deke. I would always try to perfect the fake shot because I want the goalie to think that I’m shooting the whole time so that he can completely sell himself on that shot. After that, you can just play with them a little bit.”
The veteran forward says that he developed his fake shot move by watching his reflection on the glass when he is taking an actual shot. That process helps him best mimic his actual release and freezes goaltenders.
The YouTube channel Hockey Psychology did a brilliant breakdown of all six of TJ’s Olympic shootout attempts. The breakdown includes a segment on Oshie’s fake shot move.
Oshie is only one of 13 NHL players who have ever taken 100 or more shootout attempts and has the highest scoring percentage, 47.5 percent. Over the entirety of his career with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, he has scored 49 goals on 103 total shootout attempts.
Those 2014 Winter Games were the last to involve NHL players and things did not end the way Team USA wanted them to. After falling 1-0 to arch-rivals Team Canada in the semifinals, the Americans then also dropped the bronze medal game to Team Finland in a 5-0 blowout.
With the recent announcement that NHL players will be returning to both the 2026 and 2030 Winter Olympics, the USA will finally get their chance at redemption. While Oshie will likely not make the 2026 Team USA roster, his performance from 2014 will still be in the back of everyone’s heads if the team ever goes to a shootout.
On This Date 10 years ago, T.J. Oshie became T.J. 𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙃𝙄 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/uKKBG388nj
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 15, 2024
