The world of hockey, man … it’s brutal.
Following the Washington Capitals’ elimination from the NHL Playoffs, right wing T.J. Oshie stayed on the ice for a bit as his teammates were exiting for the locker room.
The Caps squared off against the New York Rangers in the first round, with his family being at all four games (even in New York) — Washington was swept, 4-0, by the Rangers. And there’s a reason why they went to each game: Oshie may have played his last one. (RELATED: Girl Dads Are The Best: Ex-NFL’er Taylor Lewan And His Daughter Have One Of The Coolest Moments Ever At Predators Game)
At 37 years old, Oshie hasn’t decided yet that he’s going to retire, however, he did acknowledge Tuesday that both he and his doctors have got to find a way to fix his chronic back problems before he even thinks about returning for the 2024-25 campaign, which would be his 17th season in the National Hockey League.
“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 the situation,” said Oshie, according to The Associated Press. “I’d like to find just an answer and a fix to the problem before I make another run at it.”
In fact, to put into perspective how bad his back injuries are, Oshie said that he’s in such pain that he is “literally on the floor, peeing in water bottles.”
Oshie said when his back goes out, he’s in such pain that he is “literally on the floor, peeing in water bottles.” Can’t pick up his kids either until he sees his doctor for a fix.
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) April 30, 2024
Health is more important than hockey, so do what ya gotta do, Oshie. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with an injury like this.