1) From The Sporting News Ryan Kennedy wrote a piece centered around Oshie and the youthful Blues. Full Article HERE
Watching T.J. Oshie's performance against Calgary Tuesday night, I became more of a believer in the former University of North Dakota standout. Sure, Oshie is an obvious candidate for praise since he scored the game-winner against the Flames, but even before that strike the gritty second-year pivot was impressive.On the forecheck, he always seems to be between the man with the puck and his own goal, shadowing from such a distance as to make outlet passes difficult. We know from his run-ins with Columbus star Rick Nash that the 5-foot-11, 194-pounder plays bigger than his frame and he's a good secondary offensive threat.
Oshie is the type of player a team can build around and though slightly less experienced, I see him in the Mike Richards-Jonathan Toews category; a two-way threat with leadership skills. I can easily see him as captain of the Blues soon.
Which is why the near future looks solid in St. Louis. While the present face is obvious – Keith Tkachuk, Paul Kariya and Andy McDonald are the big names on the roster – those veterans are also closer to the end of their careers than the beginning. And it's Oshie, David Backes and Brad Boyes (who is kind of a tweener here in terms of age and experience) who are starting to log the most serious minutes among forwards on the team.
Norm Sanders of the News-Democrat, Full Article HERE wrote about the meeting between Oshie and Hull.
T.J. Oshie never thinks of himself as a hockey star, despite his ever-growing popularity among St. Louis Blues fans.
Oshie got his first up-close and personal meeting with Hall of Famer Brett Hull on Tuesday and was nearly overwhelmed by Hull's star power.
Perhaps inspired by the fusion of Blues luminaries past and present during Hull's pregame ceremony, Oshie went out and scored the game-winning goal in a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames.
"It was unbelievable; I had never met him before," Oshie said. "He's a legend in my eyes and a hero and inspiration. I haven't met too many of the big guys like that yet."
The 22-year-old Oshie also was surprised to hear that Hull brought up the meeting during an interview with local media earlier Tuesday.
"He just reminds me of me when I was a kid," Hull said of Oshie. "It brought back a flood of memories of when I got traded here, walking in to the old Arena and going 'I'm going to show these guys what I've got.' That's the way he is."
The meeting included a comparison of sticks between the two wingers.
"I took a look at his stick and he critiqued mine a little bit," said Oshie, a little taken aback when told of Hull's comments. "No pressure, I hope I get that many goals. It's an honor to be compared to him."
Oshie and the rest of the Blues realized they were in the presence of hockey royalty. Hull's hand-picked "Dream Team" brought a cast of Blues alumni to St. Louis that included Wayne Gretzky, Brendan Shanahan, Al MacInnis, Bernie Federko, Grant Fuhr, Guy Carbonneau, Curtis Joseph and a lot more.
"You hear a lot about the great players that came through here a long time ago, but some of the players that were out there ... wow," Oshie said. "You kind of forget that sometimes because you've seen them playing in other places, but it's amazing the talent that's come through here -- and the foundation they've left for us."
Oshie made sure Hull's big night included a Blues victory, taking a pass from Paul Kariya and sending a sizzling wrist shot high over the glove of Flames goalie Curtis McElhinney.
"(David) Backes went to their net pushing their defenseman back and Paul just made a great pass," said Oshie, who had six goals and 16 points in 27 games before Wednesday with three points in his last two contests. "I tried to find a hole. There were a bunch of sticks and skates in the way, so I'm not sure exactly how it went through.
"I was struggling there for a while, so it's really nice to get the game-winner."
One thing that struck Oshie about Hull and his former teammates was how close they still are.
"I think hockey's a little different than any other sport with how close you are with your teammates," Oshie said. "It showed out there (Tuesday)."
Oshie loves the physical side of the game and perhaps it's no surprise he's enjoyed success in both games against the rugged Flames.
"I like getting out there getting hits, and I like getting hit sometimes and trying to give it back to them," he said. "I feed off of it and it's a fun game to play in when there's a lot of physical play out there."
Blues coach Andy Murray noticed that as well.
"He was probably our best player in that (previous Calgary) game and he was good in the game (Tuesday)," Murray said. "He's another guy that can play that gritty kid of a game."
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