TJ Oshie showed once again just how tough hockey players can get.
Oshie swapped out his skates for a bat and glove for former teammate Karl Alzner’s Swing into Summer charity event on Saturday afternoon. Five weeks after breaking his hand during the Capitals’ playoff run, Oshie was supposed to be a limited participant in Saturday’s event. But once he got on the field, his performance was anything but restrained.
Not only did Oshie sign autographs and take photos with fans, but he actually joined the game’s batting lineup. And played catcher. Catching with his broken hand.
While he was able to participate, Oshie wore a black wrap on his wrist while playing and iced it after the game.
If the injury slowed him down, however, it didn’t show in his performance. Oshie roped a double down the left field line early, spurred on by John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
Thanks in part to Oshie’s performance, Team Holtby came out of the game on top with a 18-13 victory.
Oshie broke his hand in the Capitals’ first-round series against the New York Rangers when he took a hit from forward Matt Rempe in Game 3. The injury didn’t slow him down then, either: he continued to play that night and suited up for Game 4 just two days later.
While a broken hand hasn’t sidelined Oshie, lingering back problems have left his future with the Capitals in limbo. He has missed 92 games over his last three seasons and told reporters at Breakdown Day that he had yet to determine whether he’d play in the 2024-25 season.
“I’d love to play next year but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back won’t be…it’s hard putting everyone through this situation,” he said then, adding, “I’d love to play next season but I need to find a way to maybe eliminate me going in and out of the lineup because of the same issue every time. We’ll be just looking for answers for now.”
He later noted that, “A broken hand is like a hangnail compared to what I go through with my back.”
