T.J. Oshie, the Caps' beloved ‘warrior,' announces his NHL retirement
The last time T.J. Oshie skated off the ice at Capital One Arena, he took an extra few seconds to wave to the crowd and spot his family above the ice. It was April 2024, and the New York Rangers had just swept Oshie's Washington Capitals out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round. Oshie didn't know for sure it was his last game, but he thought there was a chance.
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Fox News
an hour ago
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California files lawsuit against DOJ over transgender athlete demand
California filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department on Monday after officials demanded that the state's public high schools confirm they will bar transgender athletes from competing in girls' sports. The state said in its lawsuit that the Justice Department had "no right to make such a demand" and cited "no authority which would allow them to issue or enforce the Certification Demand Letter" to each local education agency. California defended the laws that have come into question, which allow athletes to participate in sports "consistent with" their gender identity and doesn't violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The lawsuit said the state's bylaws "do not classify or discriminate based on 'biological sex,' do not require schools to 'depriv[e] [cisgender] female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex,' and do not effectuate any differential treatment on the basis of sex. "Instead, allowing athletic participation consistent with students' gender identity is substantially related to the important government interests of affording all students the benefits of an inclusive school environment, including participation in school sports, and preventing the serious harms that transgender students would suffer from a discriminatory, exclusionary policy," the lawsuit added. The state requested an injunction from the demand letter. Last week, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that public school districts must "certify in writing" by June 9 that they will not abide by the California Interscholastic Federation's gender identity rules. "Knowingly depriving female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause," Dhillon wrote in the letter. The California Interscholastic Federation governs public and private high school sports in the state and has a bylaw that requires its members to recognize gender identity in sports. All students should be able to participate in school sports "in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a student's records," the bylaw states. Dhillon, a former California-based conservative attorney, said the certifications she is seeking from the public school districts will "ensure compliance" with Title IX and help them to "avoid legal liability." California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement the lawsuit was filed "in anticipation of imminent legal retaliation against California's school systems" failing to adhere to Dhillon's demand, according to the Los Angeles Times. "The President and his Administration are demanding that California school districts break the law and violate the Constitution — or face legal retaliation. They're demanding that our schools discriminate against the students in their care and deny their constitutionally protected rights," Bonta wrote. "As we've proven time and again in court, just because the President disagrees with a law, that doesn't make it any less of one." The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the lawsuit. The DOJ previously filed a lawsuit against Maine after the state repeatedly thumbed its nose at President Donald Trump's executive order to keep males out of girls' and women's sports. The Justice Department accused Maine of "openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls." The latest chapter in California between the state and the Trump administration came days after transgender athlete AB Hernandez won state championships in the girls' division. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
T.J. Oshie, US Olympic star in Sochi and Washington Capitals Stanley Cup champion, announces retirement
WASHINGTON — T.J. Oshie, who scored four shootout goals for the U.S. to beat host Russia at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and helped the Washington Capitals win the Stanley Cup in 2018, announced Monday he is retiring after playing 16 NHL seasons. Oshie shared his news in front of hundreds of fans gathered at the fountains at Washington Harbour in Georgetown, seven years to the day of one of the most memorable Cup celebrations in hockey history when he and several teammates jumped into the fountains and took a dip. President of hockey operations Brian MacLellan, general manager Chris Patrick, coach Spencer Carbery and longtime teammates Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson came out to support Oshie as he called it a career. 'My only contribution was that this could be a good day and place to have (the ceremony),' Oshie said, adding, 'I can't thank the Caps enough. Another first-class move by them to have my retirement here, invite all the people out. It really made this day special.' The announcement had been expected for quite some time, with Oshie's contract expiring. The 38-year-old did not play this past season because of a nagging back injury that sidelined him off and on, going on long-term injured reserve instead. Oshie said in the spring of 2024 he would only return to the Capitals if he found a permanent solution or fix to the issue. His final game was at home on April 28 last year against the New York Rangers, a 4-2 loss in the first round that eliminated Washington in a sweep. 'I was fully prepared that could be my last game: I got the pictures taken of me taking off the skates to prove it,' Oshie said. 'I hadn't thought too much about (the end), honestly, besides that moment. Even before that moment, knowing how tough it was on really the whole team with me, what I was going through, actually saying the words out loud at the podium with my family in front of me and the Caps organization, my teammates, all my close friends, it was emotional.' Taken 24th in the 2005 draft by St. Louis, Oshie played 1,116 regular-season and playoff games in the league with the Blues and Capitals since making his debut in 2008. He had 336 goals and 428 assists for 764 points, including 21 points during Washington's Cup run. Oshie made an international name for himself at the Olympics, earning the nickname 'T.J. Sochi' for going 4 for 6 in shootout attempts against Sergei Bobrovsky during the U.S.-Russia preliminary round game in that tournament. 'I like to think that when I was playing, that I was playing for my teammates, for my coaches, for my family, for my fans. I rarely thought about my own accolades,' Oshie said. 'To be remembered (as a 'warrior' type of player) is a huge honor because that was my goal and the way I played the game.' In the NHL, his biggest impact came after he was traded from the Blues to the Capitals in 2015. Oshie took on an immediate leadership role as a key addition to the core of Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom and Carlson, helping the team make the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons in the nation's capital. 'I'll be the first to give credit to my teammates, because without them, I was nowhere near good enough to do it without a group like that,' Oshie said. Oshie's 76 power-play goals in D.C. are the fifth most in franchise history. He scored 49 times in the shootout, tied for third all-time since it was implemented in 2005.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The Edmonton Oilers are... America's team?
Sunrise, Fla. — Sonya Gabriel grew up in Alberta. but she has called Florida home for the past 25 years. Wearing 1990s-era copper and blue Oilers' throwback jerseys, Gabriel and her husband, Sam, walked towards Amerant Bank Arena ahead of the faceoff of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. But, there's a little more to this story. Gabriel grew up in Alberta, all right. As in Calgary, Alberta. Does she still have family there? Is her love for the Oilers a dirty secret? 'I do have family there,' she said. 'They all know I'm here. 'I've always loved the Oilers, since I was a kid. Since the Gretzky, Messier, Kurri and Fuhr times.' Her husband has only gotten into hockey over the past couple of years. Let's face it, the guy had absolutely no choice when it came to which team he was going to support. 'I've really been getting into it,' he said. Will they be back for Game 4? 'We'll see about Game 4,' said Sonya. 'We'll see how they do tonight.' The Gabriels are just part of the group of Oilers fans from across America who have travelled to Sunrise, Fla. for Game 3. Jay McIntyre and his son, Kyle, are rabid hockey fans from Philadelphia. 'We're every NHL team's fan,' said Jay (Just not the Flyers or Panthers, it seems). 'We've actually been to 23 venues. We were actually going to go to Rogers Place this year, but we couldn't make it.' 'Watching games that come from there, they just look so cool,' said Kyle. Getting to Edmonton is task No.1 left on their hockey bucket list, though. 'I want to see McDavid lift the Cup for the first time,' said Kyle. 'The Panthers have already won it last year, so I'm, like, meh. It's somebody else's turn.' 'I wanted to see them win last year,' said Jay. 'But I'm here to watch them this year.' Shelly Shively is from Elk Rapids, Michigan. She arrived at the arena wearing an Oilers home blue jersey. The Red Wings? Not her thing. She became an Oilers fan in 1987, during the Rendez-Vous series, which saw an NHL All-Star Team face the Soviet national side. 'A friend of mine was already a hockey fan, and she asked me, 'Pick your player,'' Shively said. 'So I picked my player, and it was Mark Messier. So, the next day, I looked in the paper to see who he played for.' And an Oilers fan was born. See, Messier's icy cold stare was actually endearing to some people. She's been to Edmonton to cheer on the team. And she's feeling good about the series. And, maybe, if things turn bad for the Oilers, she can aim an icy stare towards the visiting team's bench in order to get them to pick things up Why is the NHL tilted in Florida's favour? Lightning, Panthers hold six-year run on Eastern Conference dominance The long trek to Sunrise from Edmonton to cover the Oilers-Panthers final You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post, and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun
