Why Olympic Hero T.J. Oshie Believes Team USA Has Real Chance to Finally Win Gold

USA men’s hockey hasn’t won an Olympic gold medal since 1980. Is this the year?

Oshie played 16 years in the NHL from 2008 to ‘24 and won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals in ’18. | Dustin Satloff/Getty Images

T.J. Oshie is synonymous with Olympic hockey. Type his name into Google and you’ll find “T.J. Oshie shootout” is the first suggested search.

That shootout, as you may recall, occurred 12 years ago in Team USA’s 3–2 victory over Russia during the preliminary round at the 2014 Sochi Games. After USA and Russia battled to a 2–2 tie in regulation, coach Dan Bylsma called Oshie’s name six times in the tiebreaking shootout—including the last five Team USA attempts—and he delivered with four goals to defeat goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky and the Russians on their home ice.

NHL players haven’t competed in the Olympics since those 2014 Sochi Games where Oshie was crowned an American hero. But they’ll officially be back next week when the puck drops in the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Feb. 11.

Team USA enters the Olympics as one of the top contending teams for a gold medal alongside Canada, Sweden and Finland—the four teams that competed in last year’s smash hit 4 Nations Face-Off during the NHL All-Star break.

“I think the USA team is the closest we’ve ever been on paper to what Team Canada is,” Oshie said in an interview with Sports Illustrated on behalf of Michelob Ultra. “I think Team Canada is probably going to be the favorite with their history and how many top players they have.”

Canada does have history—and plenty of star power—on its side. The Canadians have won three Olympic gold medals this century and nine overall, tied with Russia for the all-time lead. They also escaped as victors of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off final with a 3–2 overtime win over the United States on Connor McDavid’s thrilling overtime goal.

But the Americans enter the Olympics with momentum. Team USA counters with stars of their own in Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk, among others. Playing a physical, in-your-face style of hockey, the Americans defeated Canada 3–1 in the round robin of the 4 Nations Face-Off before ultimately falling in the final. 

“I think [Team USA] has got a realistic chance of making a real run,” Oshie told SI. “I’m excited to see these young American kids because the last two Olympics [NHL players] haven’t been there. They haven’t had that opportunity to represent their country. … I’m extremely excited to watch them. I’ve played against a lot of these guys; I know how good they are. To see them on the world stage is going to be great.”

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Bad blood between Team USA and Canada boiled over in the 4 Nations Face-Off. Three fights broke out in the opening nine seconds of their 4 Nations round robin matchup, and there was plenty of trash talk leading up to the championship game. Team USA’s physicality, an attitude led by brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, will be on display again in Italy.

“The USA has these agitators now, which we maybe had before, but they can also score goals,” Oshie said. “It brings a whole new element. Especially on the NHL sheet [of ice], the 4 Nations was a great lead-in into what the Olympics may look like. … I think it sparked USA hockey a little bit moving into the Olympics.”

The last gold medal Team USA won in men’s hockey was the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid where legendary coach Herb Brooks led a group of college players to an improbable win over the dynastic Soviet Union and a gold medal, a run forever immortalized by the 2004 hit Disney film Miracle on Ice. Oshie, a fan of the movie himself, recently got a chance to work with the man who played the late, great Brooks in the film, Kurt Russell.

Back in December, Oshie was on set alongside Russell to make a cameo in a Michelob Ultra commercial that will air on Sunday during NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl LX. The ad depicts Russell in a Herb Brooks-like coaching role instructing actor Lewis Pullman’s character how to find his competitive edge while skiing with friends. Oshie, who admitted he had some nerves filming on the mountainside, had one request for the longtime actor.

As any American hockey player would.

“I was actually really hoping he was just going to say, ‘Again.’ And I would've just taken off up the mountain and did whatever I had to do,” Oshie said with a laugh, referring to the famous scene where Russell portrayed Brooks forcing Team USA to skate “Herbies” after an ugly game. “Obviously, for a guy like me, I never had a chance to meet Herb Brooks. So just watching the movies, in my mind, [Russell] is Herb Brooks. It was pretty surreal to meet him.”

Oshie said he took up Michelob Ultra on the offer to make a cameo in the commercial because it was his late father Tim’s favorite beer. But despite being on television for nearly two decades as an NHL player and becoming a national hero in Sochi, Oshie isn’t quite ready to see his own mug on television on Super Bowl Sunday.

“I’m not prepared for people to come out of the woodwork and see me on TV,” Oshie said. “I’m sure I’ll be sitting there checking my [Super Bowl] squares when the spot comes on. I feel very fortunate.”

A few days after the Super Bowl, Oshie will certainly be sitting on his couch watching Team USA begin its pursuit for its first gold medal in 46 years. And this time, Oshie is confident it won’t take a miracle.

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