Adam Oates

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Adam Oates bigraphy, stories - Canadian ice hockey player

Adam Oates : biography

August 27, 1962 –

Adam Oates (born August 27, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 19 seasons in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Edmonton Oilers. Known as an elite playmaker, his career total of 1,079 assists was the fifth highest total in NHL history at the time of his 2004 retirement. After retiring as a player, he served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils prior to joining the Capitals as their head coach for the 2012–13 NHL season.

As a college player, Oates was a standout forward for the RPI Engineers. He set single-season school records for assists and points and was named an East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in both 1984 and 1985. He was named a tournament all-star in helping RPI win the 1985 national championship, and in 1990–91, the NHL included him in its Second All-Star Team; he played in five All-Star Games. Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2012 along with Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, and Mats Sundin.

Playing career

College

RPI’s assistant coach Paul Allen noticed Oates during a 1982 OPJAHL game while scouting a different player and offered him a position on the school’s team. Consequently, Oates played three seasons with the RPI Engineers, leading the team in assists each year. After scoring 42 points in 22 games in his freshman season of 1982–83, he spent the summer working with a skating instructor to improve his foot speed. In 1983–84, he set school records in points with 83 and assists with 57. He was named to the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) second all-star team and became the first RPI hockey player to earn a berth on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American team since 1965.

In 1984–85, Oates broke his own school records by recording 60 assists and 91 points. His career total of 150 assists remains a school record . Again named an NCAA All-American, he was voted to the ECAC first all-star team, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top hockey player in the NCAA. After helping RPI win the 1985 national championship, he was included in the all-tournament team. In his three years with RPI, the Engineers recorded an record and won the ECAC championships in 1984 and 1985. Oates was voted to the ECAC’s all-decade team of the 1980s. He inducted into RPI’s Athletics Hall of Fame and was named the inaugural member of the hockey team’s Ring of Honor in 2004.

Detroit and St. Louis

NHL teams took interest in Oates following his junior season; at least five teams attempted to sign him. Choosing to forgo his final year of college eligibility, Oates signed a four-year, $1.1 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings that made him the highest paid rookie in the NHL in 1985–86. He made his NHL debut on October 10, 1985, against the Minnesota North Stars, scoring his first goal that night on goaltender Don Beaupre and added an assist. After this, Oates struggled offensively and was pointless in his following 16 games; the team subsequently demoted him to the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL). Oates split the remainder of the season between Detroit and Adirondack, finishing his first NHL season with 38 games played, 9 goals and 11 assists. In the AHL, he scored 18 goals and 28 assists in 34 games. Having finished the NHL season in Detroit, he was returned to Adirondack for the AHL playoffs which the team won to take the Calder Cup championship.

Oates established himself as a full-time NHLer in 1986–87, scoring 47 points in 76 games. He improved to 54 points in 63 games the following year despite missing a month due to a groin injury, and finished third in team scoring with 78 points in 1988–89. However, Detroit made changes following a first round loss in the playoffs; Oates, along with Paul MacLean, was traded to the St. Louis Blues on June 15, 1989, in exchange for veterans Bernie Federko and Tony McKegney. The deal, which is now considered one of the worst in Red Wings’ history, left Oates "heartbroken" to leave his first NHL club.