State native T.J. Oshie deserving of hockey accolades

Published 1:30 am Friday, January 24, 2020

Not many Washington-born hockey players end up making the NHL, let alone have careers that span more than a decade. But T.J. Oshie, born in Mount Vernon and raised in Everett, has done just that and so much more.

Shootout goals for Team USA in the Olympics? Check. An integral player on a Stanley Cup winning team? Check. Well, one thing that was missing from his wonderful career? NHL All-Star, and that can be added to the list this year. Also, to have the All-Star game played in St. Louis? So wonderful and fitting since Oshie began his career with the Blues who drafted him in the first round and he played his first several years in the league? Icing on the cake to another phenomenal achievement in a remarkable career.

Maybe in a few years one of Everett’s and Washington’s greatest athletes can end his career with the new NHL team in Seattle, and be a captain. Talk about someone who deserves that, and two out of three Stanley Cup championships for the Washington Capitals and one of Washington’s favorite sons? Why not? Go Capitals, and congratulations to a National Hockey League All-Star for the 2019-2020 season T.J. Oshie!

Jeff Swanson

Everett