Washington Capitals' T.J. Oshie records hat trick in first game since father's death

The Washington Capitals' game against the New York Rangers was an ugly, fight-filled affair for long stretches, but it did produce a touching moment late in the proceedings.

Capitals forward T.J. Oshie recorded the fourth regular-season hat trick of his career in his first game back in the Washington lineup following the death of his father Tim at age 56. Oshie missed Monday's game against the Rangers before announcing the death of his father, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2012, on Tuesday morning.

Oshie opened the scoring Wednesday night with a power-play goal just 12 seconds into the second period. He added another tally on the power play later in the frame, then secured the hat trick – his first since 2017 – with an empty-net goal in the third period.

The emotion showed for Oshie on the bench following his hat trick goal, which helped the shorthanded Caps finish off a 4-2 victory.

“We are trying to be there for him and take care of him and he ends up taking care of us,” Capitals forward Nic Dowd said of Oshie, who was surrounded in a giant group hug from teammates at the Capitals bench after his hat trick goal.

The Capitals wore helmet decals with "Coach" written on them in honor of the late "Coach Osh."

"Anything we can do to support and be here for T.J. and his family. That's what teams do, I think," Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom said. "We stick together, we're a family. All of us. Anything we can do to support and be there for them, we're going to do it."

Oshie was not among the players made available to the media but he did share his thoughts on the emotional night in a tweet late Wednesday.

"I have nothing but love for my teammates," he wrote. "I will be forever grateful for this night and especially because I got to share it with my brothers. #ForCoachOsh."

Tim Oshie was on hand for the celebrations when the Capitals captured the 2018 Stanley Cup, and his embrace with son T.J. – and the younger's interview about "Coach Osh" – were among the most emotional moments of the Caps' championship victory.

Contributing: Mike Brehm and Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: TJ Oshie gets hat trick in first game since death of his father