Adam Oates
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Adam Oates (born August 27, 1962 in Weston, Ontario, Canada) is a former professional ice hockey center who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League.
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Playing career
From 1982 to 1985, Oates attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he was a major contributor to RPI's 1985 NCAA Division I championship. After that season, Oates signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Red Wings.
Adam Oates scored more assists than any player not named Gretzky through the 90s. Because Oates is arguably slightly underreated, this is a fact that catches even some hockey afficionadoes off guard. But the case can easily be made that, next to Gretzky, Oates was the most creative and effective playmaker in the modern NHL era. For example, Hull and Oates united to form a terrifying tandem for three years (this is elaborated below), with Oates supplying the playmaking for Hull, who was a natural goal-scorer. During those three years, Hull's goal totals were 72-86-70. But other than these three seasons, the only three seasons where he was the recipient of Oates' wizardly passes, he never hit the 70 goal mark; in fact, other than these three seasons, he never ever surmounted the 60 goal mark.
Oates solidified his reputation as an elite NHL playmaker with the Red Wings, and by his last season with the club 1988-89 he was scoring at an almost assist-per-game pace. However, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues after the season along with Paul MacLean for Bernie Federko and Tony McKegney.
Oates prospered in St. Louis, where he teamed up with Brett Hull and became part of the "Hull n Oates" tandem, a reference to the musical duo of Hall & Oates. Mostly thanks to Oates, Hull had three consecutive seasons with at least 70 goals, including the 1990-91 season when Hull scored 86. Oates also had a spectacular season, as he had 90 assists and 115 points in only 61 games. However, the next season, Oates' stay in St. Louis ended as he was traded to the Boston Bruins for Craig Janney and Stephane Quintal.
Oates had perhaps his best seasons yet in 1992-93, as he scored a career-high 45 goals, 97 assists and 142 points. Ironically, the only other player to score 100 points for the Bruins that season was fellow RPI alumnus, Joe Juneau. As well, Oates' 97 assists were more formidable than his totals in his St. Louis years in that he did not have a bona-fide sniper playing alongside him the whole season, as Bruins sniper Cam Neely was injured for all but 13 games during the season.
Oates played with Boston until the 1996-97 NHL season, when he was traded to the Washington Capitals in a blockbuster move near the trading deadline. Oates helped lead the Capitals to the Stanley Cup Finals the next season, but failed to win as the Capitals lost to the Red Wings, Oates' first NHL team. Oates had a few more productive seasons with the Caps, leading the lead in assists in 2000-01 and 2001-02, both feats were done in the two seasons leading up to his fortieth birthday. On January 14, 2002, Oates became only the eighth player in NHL history to earn at least 1,000 career assists, a tribute to his playmaking skills.
In 2002-03, Oates made his second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, this time with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but again his team was beat out, this time by the New Jersey Devils. Oates never would end up winning a Stanley Cup in his career. His career looked to be over after the season, but on November 17, 2003, the Edmonton Oilers desperately needed a center, and signed Oates to a contract. However, the season was a disappointment as he scored only two goals and 18 points, and Oates announced his retirement on April 3, 2004. He is considered by most hockey experts to be a lock for the Hockey Hall of Fame when he is eligible in 2007.
Records
- Oldest player to lead the NHL in assists in a single season (64 in 2001-02, at the age of 39)
Awards
- ECAC Second All-Star Team (1984)
- NCAA East First All-American Team (1984, 1985)
- ECAC First All-Star Team (1985)
- NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (1985)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (1991)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997)
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1982-83 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 22 | 9 | 33 | 42 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1983-84 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 38 | 26 | 58 | 83 | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1984-85 | R.P.I. | NCAA | 38 | 31 | 60 | 91 | 28 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1985-86 | Adirondack Red Wings | AHL | 34 | 18 | 28 | 46 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 4 | ||
| 1985-86 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 38 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1986-87 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 76 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 21 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 1987-88 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 63 | 14 | 40 | 54 | 20 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 20 | 6 | ||
| 1988-89 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 16 | 62 | 78 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1989-90 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 80 | 23 | 79 | 102 | 30 | 12 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 4 | ||
| 1990-91 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 61 | 25 | 90 | 115 | 29 | 13 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 10 | ||
| 1991-92 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 54 | 10 | 59 | 69 | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1991-92 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 26 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 4 | ||
| 1992-93 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 84 | 45 | 97 | 142 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 1993-94 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 77 | 32 | 80 | 112 | 45 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 1994-95 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 12 | 41 | 53 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1995-96 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 70 | 25 | 67 | 92 | 18 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1996-97 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 63 | 18 | 52 | 70 | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1996-97 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 17 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 18 | 58 | 76 | 36 | 21 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 18 | ||
| 1998-99 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 59 | 12 | 42 | 54 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 82 | 15 | 56 | 71 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2000-01 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 81 | 13 | 69 | 82 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001-02 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 66 | 11 | 57 | 68 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2002-03 | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | NHL | 67 | 9 | 36 | 45 | 16 | 21 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 2003-04 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 60 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 18 Years | Totals | NHL | 1337 | 341 | 1079 | 1420 | 415 | 163 | 42 | 114 | 156 | 66 | ||
External links
See also
- Captain (ice hockey)
- List of NHL statistical leaders
- List of NHL players
- List of NHL seasons
- Brett Hull
- List of NHL players with 1000 points
Template:Start box Template:Succession box Template:End boxde:Adam Oates ja:アダム・オーツ