Congratulations to the U.S. Olympic hockey team, which beat the Russians 3-2 in a shootout a few hours ago. The U.S. team’s hero was T.J. Oshie, who scored four shootout goals. Oshie, who plays for the St. Louis Blues, was born in Washington, went to high school in Warroad, Minnesota, and played for North Dakota. He was mobbed by media after the game:
When asked by a reporter how it feels to be an American hero, Oshie replied, “The heroes are the ones in camo.” Good for him.
Oshie’s performance has put a spotlight on Warroad, Minnesota, which the New York Times profiled here:
Warroad, population 1,781, a civic snow globe six miles from the Canadian border, has as many indoor rinks (two) as red lights. The town has sent seven hockey players to the Olympics since 1956 — four of them from the same family, the Christians — and each one has returned with a medal. …
Oshie, 27, a wing with the St. Louis Blues, is the town’s eighth Olympian. In his debut, he faces a certain historical imperative: the American men have never won hockey gold without a player from Warroad.
Let’s hope they can do it again.
On a personal note, the three surviving medal winners from the Christian family were all at my oldest daughter’s wedding in June, as her husband is of that family. So there is considerable celebration in her household.
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