The Olympic night that changed TJ Oshie’s life is following him to the Super Bowl

There are some moments in sports that transcend the boundaries of rink or field and cement themselves in pop culture. In 2014, one of those unfolded before our eyes thanks to TJ Oshie, and became not only a defining Olympic moment but one that stitched itself into the fabric of hockey lore.

It was a preliminary-round game between Team USA and Russia, the Olympic host and the home team, as much as one can be the home team in the Olympics. The matchup went to a shootout, and under IIHF rules at the time, teams were allowed to reuse shooters after the first three rounds. Team USA Head Coach Dan Bylsma leaned into that rule, repeatedly calling on Oshie as the pressure mounted.

Each trip to center ice turned the shootout into something more than a tiebreaker, transforming it into a spectacle that captured global attention.

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) changed the overtime rules in 2018, so this is not a situation that could ever happen again, which only adds richness to its legacy. We spoke to Oshie and asked what that unbelievable moment meant to him and how it felt to change hockey history.

Like a true hockey player, he credited his teammates for getting him to that position and his goalie for protecting his back.

"Shootouts were probably the most comfortable I’ve ever been doing anything. I loved them. To do something you love and are comfortable with, and have it turn into such a big moment, is still a bit shocking to me. It changed my life," Oshie said. "In the moment, it felt like the team needed me to do a job, and I’m a team-first guy. I knew part of the reason I made the team was for the shootout, and I just wanted to win the game. Looking back, I would trade that shootout in a heartbeat for a gold medal. Instantly."

One night in Sochi has followed TJ Oshie everywhere

That Olympic moment didn't just change his life and how hockey is played on the international stage, it also changed where Oshie shows up in American sports culture. Four years later, he was a household name when he won the Stanley Cup alongside Alexander Ovechkin. And now, he is appearing on the biggest stage in sports: the Super Bowl.

The continued visibility is what made Oshie a natural fit when Michelob Ultra partnered with Team USA ahead of the upcoming Olympics, a campaign that ultimately landed on the Super Bowl stage. His Olympic legacy, built on calm under pressure and trust in preparation, translated cleanly beyond hockey — not as a celebrity cameo, but as a familiar face tied to one of the most enduring moments in modern Olympic sports.

What began as a shootout in Sochi had, over time, become part of a broader American sports memory.

As part of a robust campaign to  celebrate Team USA,  Michelob ULTRA created a Super Bowl LX spot inspired by the Olympic Games, to remind fans “Superior Is Worth Playing For” -  whether it’s their first time on the slopes or they’re competing for Olympic gold.  The action-packed spot titled “The ULTRA Instructor” brings together superior names in sports and entertainment, including Hollywood icon Kurt Russell and actor Lewis Pullman, making their Super Bowl commercial debut alongside Olympic Games gold medalist Chloe Kim and Olympian and NHL champion T. J. Oshie. Set on the slopes, the commercial is directed by Top Gun: Maverick and F1 filmmaker and action movie aficionado, Joseph Kosinski.

We asked him what it was like being part of a Super Bowl commercial.

"It was insane. What’s really special is that it was my dad’s favorite beer. I never thought in a million years I’d be in a Super Bowl commercial. When they asked me to be part of it with Chloe Kim, I was in right away. Then I found out Kurt Russell was involved and thought, 'wait, what?'. When I saw the script, it felt like a story about me, guys competing over a beer. I like to win. And the humor Kurt brings to it made it really special."

At the end of the day, it all comes back to his family. Representing Team USA made his family proud, being in the commercial reminded him of his family, and today he says the only thing he is better at than the shootout is changing a diaper. The shootout in Sochi will always live on in Olympic hockey history, but it no longer defines Oshie’s life. Now, the moments that matter most happen away from the spotlight, shaped by family and a routine that looks nothing like it did in 2014.

The night that changed his life still follows him, but Oshie seems perfectly happy letting it be just one part of a much bigger picture.