Going into his exit meeting in 2017 with general manager Brian MacLellan, T.J. Oshie wanted to do what he could to show he was committed to the Washington Capitals.
He was headed for free agency for the first time in his career, and his team had just been eliminated again from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in the second round at the hands of the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
So, he pulled off some quick thinking, running to the bathroom and grabbing a paper towel. Then, he found a Sharpie and drafted his own contract extension.
"I wanted to do something a little different and do a small gesture to show how much I wanted to remain a Washington Capital... I wrote something along the lines of, 'I, T.J. Oshie, hereby agree to sign an extension with the Washington Capitals for blank years at blank dollars,'" Oshie told the crowd as he announced his retirement at the Washington Harbour fountains on Monday.
He signed his own name, and then left a line for MacLellan to sign.
Weeks later, the paper towel upgraded to a legitimate extension on paper, as his agent and the Capitals agreed on an eight-year extension.
"Those blanks were filled in with maybe a little bit more than I deserve," Oshie quipped. "But the gesture was pure. I wanted to remain a Washington Capital."
The next season, Oshie would help lead Washington to its first Stanley Cup Championship, as he and the Capitals finally overcame the Penguins in the second round.
Oshie, who was aquired by the Capitals in the 2015 offseason, quickly became a fan favorite and staple of the franchise, picking up 192 goals and 193 assists for 385 points in 567 total games with the franchise. His 76 power-play goals are the fifth-most in team history.
Capitals Forward T.J. Oshie Announces Retirement After 16 NHL Seasons
After 16 historic seasons in the NHL, Washington Capitals winger T.J. Oshie is hanging up the skates.
Oshie announced his retirement from professional hockey on Monday in front of hundreds of fans gathered at the fountains at Washington Harbour in Georgetown, where he and his teammates swam after winning the Stanley Cup in 2018.
Fittingly, it was on this day seven years ago that he and his teammates pulled off that historic celebration.
The 38-year-old did not play this past season amid ongoing complications with his back that have kept him off the ice. He had previously said he wouldn't return unless he found a permanent solution to his issues. His final NHL game was on April 28, 2024, a 4-2 loss to the New York Rangers in Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Oshie cemented his legacy as a "glue guy" and key member of the Capitals' core following his trade to D.C. on July 2, 2015.
Over nine years with the Capitals, Oshie posted 192 goals and 193 assists for 385 points, the ninth-most in franchise history, and his 76 power-play goals are the fifth-most in franchise history. He put up 21 points in 24 games during the team's playoff run in 2018 to help lead Washington to its first and only Stanley Cup.
