T.J. Oshie emerged from the stick room dressed in his new Washington Capitals white jersey with his new number, 77, pasted onto the back of his helmet, trailed by a camera documenting his first skate with his new team. He stepped onto the bench at the practice facility, already feeling comfortable inside his new office, and leaned two fresh sticks against the glass. He eyed both then chose one, smiling as he turned toward the ice.
“Oh boy,” he said. “Let’s see how these new twigs work.”
Only a dozen or so fans were present for the occasion, a far smaller crowd than that which snaked around the building in mid-July, lining up for the forward’s autograph.