Two First Nations players dominated the men's hockey tournament. T.J. Oshie played for the United States and goaltender Carey Price represented Canada. Both were Olympic heroes.
T.J. Oshie
Carey Price
Carey Price (Center) surrounded by his teammates, celebrating winning the Gold Medal.
T.J. Oshie pauses during game with his team, the Saint Louis Blues.
SOCHI, RUSSIA-Were you one of those hardy individuals who got up to watch the Gold Medal game between Canada and Sweden? Even if you weren't, there is little doubt that men's and women's hockey dominated the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.
Two First Nations players dominated the men's hockey tournament. Goaltender Carey Price represented Canada and T.J. Oshie played for the United States. Both were Olympic heroes.
Going by T.J., Timothy Lief Oshie rose to stardom in an instant thanks to his shootout heroics in the United States' Pool A win over Russia. He became a super sportsman when the U.S. team put their faith in him as their "lone shooter."
T.J., Ojibwe, was born in Mount Vernon, Washington, but calls Warroad, Minnesota his home. Oshie moved to Warroad during high school in order to play more competitive hockey. Oshie graduated high school alongside 2014 U.S. Women's Hockey Olympian Gigi Marvin in 2005. He went on to the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where he played hockey and one of his teammates was Canadian Olympic standout Jonathan Toews.
When he's not playing in the Olympics, Oshie is a member of the National Hockey League's Saint Louis Blues. At the NHL level, Toews, who plays with the Chicago Blackhawks, and Oshie have been bitter rivals. Oshie has spent his entire six-year NHL career with the Blues, who are currently enjoying the best season in the franchise's 47-year history.
This was Oshie's first Olympics. However, his second cousin, Henry "The Chief" Boucha, won a silver medal playing for the U.S. at the 1972 Sapporo Olympics.
Carey Price wound up being the Number One goalie in the Olympics. He was a steadying influence when the team's offense stalled and his casual approach to the game brought calmness over the team. His rebound control also kept the opposition's scoring chances to a minimum.
Price was born in 1987 in Vancouver, British Columbia, but was raised in the remote town of Anahim Lake in northern B.C. He was taught to play goaltender by his father on a frozen creek during the winter months and played organized hockey in Williams Lake nearly three hours away by car. Having to make the six hour round trip three days a week, Carey's father bought a plane to fly him to practice and games.
Price plays for the Montreal Canadiens. He was drafted by the Canadiens in 2005. Following two seasons with the Tri-City Americans, where he won both the Del Wilson Trophy as the top goaltender in the WHL and the CHL Goaltender of the Year in his last season of major junior in 2007.
Joining the Canadiens farm team, the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL just as the Calder Cup playoff started, Price led the Bulldogs to the Calder Cup championship, winning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the tournament MVP. Price made the Canadiens roster for the 2007-2008 NHL season as the backup goaltender before becoming the starting goaltender later that season.
Price has also represented Canada at various tournaments in 2004, 2005, 2007, and now the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in Sochi.
His mother, Lynda, is the former chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation. Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan is a second cousin of Price.
Price was named as an honorary co-chair at the 2010 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships that were held in Ottawa, Ontario in May 2010.
Price is married to Angela Webber. They reside in Kelowna, B.C., during the offseason.
