Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie admits that if the NHL decides to restart its season with empty arena games at neutral sites, he has a preference on the location.
"I want to play. Doesn't necessarily matter too much where it is. But obviously, North Dakota is the No. 1 place I'd want to play in the world, so that would be amazing," said Oshie, who played three years with the Fighting Sioux from 2005 to '08. There has been speculation that the University of North Dakota is among the sites the NHL is considering for games this summer.
Like other players, Oshie expressed a desire to complete the 2019-20 season and said he'll be ready if there's a green light to do so.
"In a week, I'd be ready to step into the playoffs and make a difference," he said on a video conference call on Monday. "With our team having put in so much effort -- not just us, but everyone in the league ... it's all geared towards the playoffs and getting the chance to win the Cup. To not have that be a possibility is a hard pill to swallow. So if it's a neutral site, if that's what we have to do to try and win a Cup, then I'm all for it."
But returning to the ice isn't as easy as just picking a venue. The NHL and NHLPA have both stressed that the safety and health of those involved in those games is paramount, and Oshie agreed.
"I think safety has to be No. 1. I mean, we need these numbers to stop and to go down and be zero. A lot players have young families. I'm thinking about them more than myself. You hate to get things rushed and not done properly and have it somehow leak through all the teams and people in harm's way -- especially our families in harm's way," said Oshie.
"A smarter man or team of men and women will have to figure out how to get this thing going, and make sure that it's 100 percent safe, and we can guarantee we're not going to put anyone in harm's way," he said. "If we can ensure the safety of everyone -- the people who work in the rinks, the teams, the trainers -- I want to play and have a chance to raise another Cup."
For now, Oshie's focus is on his family, with two daughters and a newborn son, as well as on how to help those on the front lines against COVID-19. Oshie has been sending out personal videos, through friends, thanking doctors and nurses for their efforts. He said the Capitals have some fund-raising ideas in the works to "help out the people in the hospitals right now" as well.
He's also interested in the "NHL 20" video game battle between teammate Alex Ovechkin and Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky scheduled for Wednesday night on the Capitals' Twitch Channel.
"Are they doing the controllers? Are they playing against each other?" asked Oshie. "Because I feel like Ovie plays more video games, so I'm going to give him the nod."