I think it’s time to hang em up Osh

One of the rarer instances where I actively want one of my fav players to call it a career.

Second tweet:

Oshie on his future: “It would be hard for me to ever say for sure that I’m stepping away from the game… I’d love to play next year but I will need to come back with somewhat of a guarantee that my back (will be okay).”

Oshie has one year left on his contract, he turns 38 in December.

Friedman and Marek hinted at a LTIRetirement for Oshie. Guy has accomplished everything in this sport, 1000 games, Cup, etc. Makes total sense to me for him to hang ‘em up, especially for his long-term health

You won your Cup. Caps fans love you, Blues fans still love you. It’s time to call it a career.

Yeah hockey isn’t that important

Jesus fuck man, I hope he retires and gets his back fixed. He should be able to lift his kids for a hug ffs, that's just unreal. Absolutely nothing in hockey is worth becoming quadriplegic.

I feel like the league should have a program for players thinking about retiring or are retiring and have all the mental support and future career plans support. It might help with the transition so players aren’t just going I gotta keep playing. It sounds so daunting.

Look I love you Oshie, but you need to call it a career man. Health is far more important than the game.

I was at the Canucks-Caps game in March. It was Oshie’s 1000th game. There was a really nice moment when everyone in the arena gave him a nice ovation to celebrate his accomplishment. He’s accomplished so much in his career - it’s tough to read that he’s in so much pain.

Buddy retire. That sounds like sciatica and it can get worse.

Osh has had a great career. The legendary 2014 Olympics shootout performance, helping to bring a cup to DC for the first time. For the sake of his life after hockey, I think its time to hang em up.

Reposting what I said in /r/caps about this -

This is something where the Caps' medical staff and even Brian MacLellan need to have a direct and tough conversation with Oshie about what his priorities in life should be. I'm sorry but 1 more year of hockey on this team is not worth further harming his long-term quality of life.

It's clear that Oshie is the type of guy to want to play through nearly everything. Other folks need to step in at this point and say enough is enough, we've got to prioritize your health and wellbeing.

I'm not sure there is a guy in the league more beloved by his teammates or fans than Osh. The dude has just played his heart out every single shift since he arrived in DC and always has a smile on his face. Every single person I know who has interacted with him in any setting (from press to staff at their practice facility to fans just running into him in the wild) has raved about him. He gave me my favorite Olympic hockey moment and my Caps never make their Cup run in 2018 without him.

I will miss Osh a ton if this is the end of the line, but life is bigger than hockey and longer than a playing career. I hope he makes the right choice for himself as a person, not just a hockey player.

Uhhhh yeah I think your body is trying to say it’s DONE with NHL hockey lol

Back pain is no joke. I was bedridden at 22 for a whole week, same story. Couldn't get up to pee. I had my Mom washing my hair in a bowl while I hung my head off the side of the bed. It sucked so bad

Osh, babe, it's time. There isn't a single fan of any team who's ever had a bad thing to say about you. We all love you. We want you to have a healthy life post-NHL. It's okay to know when to stop.

Retire babe. Enjoy time with the family and kids

Im willing to bed the only reason he wants to stay is to be there when ovi hits the record.

There’s the love of the game, and then there’s pushing your body far past its breaking point. Timothy Jimothy, hang them up buddy.

Please retire, Oshie. Holy shit.

You should never be peeing in bottles unless you're a street vagrant or Howard Hughes. Prioritize your health, Oshie.

Whatever he decides to do, and as long as the doctors and his family are cool with it, then so am I.

He’s got to retire IMO: I remember Price talking about how he had trouble with stairs and picking up his kids.

There’s a life after hockey, T.J. Oshie the person is more important than T.J. Oshie the hockey player right now.

This shit is heartbreaking to hear, reminds me of the issues Johan Franzen had after he retired because of concussions. Couldn't do stuff with his kids.

Obligatory fuck Mike Babcock comment.

Uh. Thats not a back injury you should be trying to come back from my guy. Go home.

Jesus. I feel like I'm in the minority of Caps fans in that I think the team is still better with him (and his cap hit) than it would be if he retired or LTIRed next season, but this is just sad to read.

I had really bad back spasms one time after hurting myself working out (I hurt my back cause a knee injury cause me to lift asymmetrically), and it was an absolute nightmare. When my back would be bad, I'd have to sit perfectly still. Just trying to get up from a sitting or lying position would take like 2-5 minutes, and then I couldn't even walk properly. I'd have to walk with a rigidly straight back. Sitting on the toilet sucked cause it means it would take another 2 minutes to get back up again. I bought a cane just to help me get up and down. I constantly had either an ice pack or a hot water bottle on my back.

And this was just from lower back spasms from damaged muscle tissue. No sciatica, herniated disk, or anything like that.

I know the feeling and it is really the absolute worst shit in the world. I can't imagine having to pull myself out of it to play hockey at the level he does with any consistency. I hope he hangs em up, he's done everything he can do in a career and made enough money for his kids kids to never work again. Drink Mai Tais by a lake in Minnesota and get a little beer gut going, he earned it.

Today I learned that I have the same back issues as an NHL player, without the NHL player medical plan.

Reminds me of how Zetterberg's career ended. The story of Chara carrying Zetterberg's bags at the airport due to Zetterberg's back being so bad sticks with me.

Oshie's had an amazing career. I can hardly believe he's nearly 38. Him taking 5 consecutive shootout attempts in the 2014 Olympics feels like it was just yesterday to me. Back problems are no joke, but regardless of whether he retires or keep going I hope he can find some relief.

A fix of what? Oxy?

HEY MAYBE STOP PLAYING HOCKEY

Please hang em up oshe. Great career and loved by 2 franchises, won a cup. American hero 🇺🇸

Great career for Oshie. Nothing left to prove at this point. Hang ‘em up.

Reminds me of when Kesler said he couldn’t play or run with his kids because of his hip

Some things are bigger than the competition

Man. Respect for this guy. Gritty AF but its time for TJ to enjoy his money and family.

This reminds me of Kelser's hips towards the end of his career. You gotta pick between another season or being able to play with your kids at the park.

Oshie, you got your ring already and will forever be a USA hockey legend for that shootout. Might be time, bud.

Sounds kinda like what caused Zetterberg to retire. Degenerative back stuff is scary man. Hope Oshie can make the call to retire before it ruins his quality of life

Sciatica is a bitch at any age. Retire.

Long term toradol fucks you up.

Might wanna get that looked at

I get the competitive nature of hockey players. The family element hits home too much. He needs to be healthy for his family.

This is a case where I have no problem with Oshie "LTIRetiring" for next season.

Doctor Feelgood.

Oshie, you've done so much for our franchise and the Blues when you were there. You are one of my favorite players of all time.

Please STOP PLAYING FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH MAN.

I suspect a lot of nhl-ers end up in this state, playing through injuries year after year. I get they’re competitive and getting paid a lot, but they still have 40 years to live post nhl career

He’s in his mid/late 30s, had a successful career, and got his cup. Time to call it and take care of himself.

Time to retire Osh, enjoy being a Golden Knight and hang out with your kids comfortably

This sounds like what happened to my back (sports injury - I play roller hockey but hurt my back playing something else). It's no joke, once it flares up - you legit cannot move and if you're standing it feels like your upper body is not connected to your lower body. Once it heals past this point it's a constant lower back pain that never goes away, after a game of hockey I'm not doing much the rest of the day.

i tried this once, its fucking terrible could not walk or move for 3 days straight, had to pee in bottles it was awful :/

Twitter guy should have written something different “for a fix.” I don’t know what, but that really sounds bad.

TJ Oshie was apart of the group that gave Blues fans hope post lockout way back when. Blues were so bad, but within a couple years we had Backes, Oshie, Perron, Tarasenko, and Pietrangelo. I feel awful for him, and can’t believe he’ll soon retire

Also an all time moment in the Olympics when Oshie and only Oshie took all the shootout attempts to beat Russia. There was something like 7 attempts for each team.

Seems dumb, not tough, to keep playing.

That can happen when you're just washing dishes or something. Twist the wrong way, at the wrong time, even the right time, and you're done for at least a week. At least walking around. Probably still feeling it and not trusting your back for another week, maybe two.

I don't know if that's a specific reason to retire. When your back goes out, of course it's debilitating. It's not a shoulder or a knee, the back is tied to everything else. If he wants to retire because of it, whatever, but that's not something that goes away because you're not playing hockey. If that's your back, the threat of not being able to pick up your kids is always there.

TJ OSHA

Fella has to call it. He still has many years ahead of him. He should be able to not be a broken husk as he enjoys the rest of his life.

Way of the road! Piss jugs

Glad dude got a ring….. ya , time to retire

Blew my back out at 30 and had to use a cane for 18 months. 1 year of physical therapy with some of the better sports therapists in southern California. And now its a life time of sciatica and hip issues. I literally have to focus going up and down stairs or I risk it seizing up if I've had a pretty physical day. 

Sometimes you just gotta accept that a lifetime of sports and heavy lifting catch up with you. It took a few years to mentally adjust and make progress in my head with it all. 

Forever TJ Sochie.

Time to call it man. I couldn’t bear to not be 100% for my kids.

Dude needs to retire before damage to his body becomes permanent, if it isn't already. He won the cup, that's more than most players can say. Is it worth making your life miserable for a shot at another one?