Ojibwe hockey star celebrates team's historic championship victory

Friday, June 8, 2018

Ojibwe hockey star Timothy "T.J." Oshie made history as the Washington Capitals professional hockey team won its first Stanley Cup in more than two decades.

The Capitals defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in game five of the Stanley Cup finals on Thursday evening. Oshie plays forward for the Washington, D.C., team.

“Throughout the whole year, not a lot was expected out of us,” T.J. Oshie told The Washington Post. “Maybe on paper we weren’t as elite as teams past. But man, did we ever come together.”

But the night was about more than the team. Oshie dedicated the victory to his father, also named Timothy, whom he said is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

“My dad, he doesn't remember a lot of stuff these days,” Oshie, wiping away tears, told Sportsnet. “He remembers enough. But I tell you what, he's here tonight. I don't know where he's at, but this one will stick with him forever. You can guarantee that.”

Oshie eventually caught up with his father. Photos show the pair holding up the Stanley Cup on the ice at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the crucial game took place.

A picture worth a thousand words. @TJOshie77 lifts the #StanleyCup with his father! pic.twitter.com/vHJPYTBc0W
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) June 8, 2018

Oshie, 31, was born in Washington state and moved to Warroad, a town in Minnesota near the Red Lake Nation, during his high school years. The community is famous for producing world-class hockey players, including fellow Ojibwe and fellow Olympian Henry Boucha.

Oshie and Boucha are cousins. They are close: Oshie and his father lived with Boucha when they first moved back to Warroad.

“We take a lot of pride in that and my dad will be the first to tell you that,” Oshie told NBC Sports back in 2015. “We respect the native way. We respect the land. It’s just amazing how much pride my family takes from our heritage and from where we come from.”

It was during the family's time in Warroad when Oshie received his Ojibwe name of "Keeway Gaaboo." It means "Coming Home," according to Peter Richmond at Sports on Earth.

Following his high school career in Warroad, during which the team scored two state championships, Oshie played hockey for three years at the University of North Dakota. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues and was with the team from 2008 through 2015.

Oshie was a fan favorite in St. Lous but started gaining more attention when he played for the U.S. Olympic team during the 2014 winter teams in Russia. He was transferred to the Washington Capitals in 2015 and is known locally for taking the subway to practices and games.

He even took the D.C. Metro to game four of the Stanley Cup, which took place in D.C. on Monday. On Tuesday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority promised to make a commemorative Oshie subway card if the Capitals won the championship.

Read More on the Story:
Washington Capitals winger TJ Oshie dedicates Stanley Cup win to Alzheimer's-afflicted father (Fox News June 8, 2018)
NHL Player’s Emotional Tribute To Father With Alzheimer’s Will Melt Your Heart (The Huffington Post June 8, 2018)
Capitals fans celebrate Stanley Cup, first D.C. title since 1992 (The Associated Press June 8, 2018)
Caps on top! Washington wins Stanley Cup, beats Vegas 4-3 (The Associated Press June 7, 2018)
Capitals, and Washington, celebrate a victory decades in the making (The Washington Post June 7, 2018)