Is Adam Oates the most underrated playmaker?
Adam Oates played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and Edmonton Oilers from 1985 to 2004.
Known as an elite playmaker, Oates’ career total of 1,079 assists was the fifth-highest in NHL history during his 2004 retirement. He has the highest number of games played and points scored among undrafted NHL players, with 1,337 and 1,420, respectively.
After retiring as a player, Oates served as an assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils before joining the Capitals as their head coach for two seasons, from 2012 to 2014. In 2017, Oates was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history. Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2012.
After his junior season, NHL teams were interested in Oates; 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, making 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 adding an assist. After this, Oates struggled offensively and was pointless in his next 16 games; the team demoted him to the Adirondack Red Wings of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Oates became a full-time NHLer in 1986–87, scoring 47 points in 76 games. He improved to 54 points in 63 games the next year despite missing a month due to a groin injury and finished third in team scoring with 78 points in 1988–89.
But, Detroit changed after a first-round loss in the playoffs; on June 15, 1989, Oates and Paul MacLean were traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for veterans Bernie Federko and Tony McKegney. The deal, now considered one of the worst in Red Wings’ history, left Oates “heartbroken” to leave his first NHL club.
The Blues made Oates their first-line center and played him alongside Brett Hull. The pair, dubbed “Hull and Oates” as a play on the band Hall and Oates, put up prolific offensive numbers.
In 1989–90, Oates topped the 100-point mark for the first time in his career with 102 points. He improved to 115 in 1990–91. He helped Hull score 72 and 86 goals in those seasons, the latter being the third highest in single-season total in NHL history. After the season, Oates was named to the second all-star team and played in the 1991 All-Star Game.
Oates signed a four-year, $3 million contract extension with the Blues before the 1991–92 season, but after the team signed Brendan Shanahan, Garth Butcher, and Ron Sutter to significant deals, he felt he was underpaid. After playing in his second career All-Star Game, he threatened to walk off the team following the All-Star break if the Blues did not renegotiate his contract, prompting an adverse reaction from St. Louis fans, who booed him loudly. The conflict was resolved on February 7, 1992, when the team traded him to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Craig Janney and Stéphane Quintal.
Oates’ best individual season came in his first full year in Boston. He led the league with 97 assists in 1992–93 and finished third in overall scoring with 142 points.
At the 1993 All-Star Game, Oates set a record by recording four assists in one period as part of the Wales Conference’s 16–6 victory. He played in his fourth consecutive All-Star Game in 1994 and again finished third in the league, scoring 112 points in 1993–94.
In five years between 1989 and 1994, Oates was the second-highest point producer in the NHL. His average of 114 points per season was second to Wayne Gretzky’s 124.
While with the Bruins in the 1994 playoffs, In game five of the conference quarter-final series against the New Jersey Devils, Oates scored the final goal in the history of the Boston Garden in a 3–2 loss. Near the end of the 1997 season, with the Bruins struggling to make the playoffs and frustrated with his contract, Oates publicly criticized the team. This action led to him being traded to the Washington Capitals less than two weeks later, on March 1, 1997. In the trade, Oates, Bill Ranford, and Rick Tocchet went to Washington in exchange for Jim Carey, Anson Carter, Jason Allison, and two draft picks: 3rd Round 1997 (Lee Goren) and Conditional 2nd Round 1998 (Bobby Allen).
Oates initially refused to report to Washington, demanding his contract be renegotiated, but chose to join the team after a four-day holdout. He continued to demand a new contract in the off-season, while his agent claimed Oates would retire before playing for the Capitals again. After several months of contentious negotiations, the two sides agreed to a three-year contract worth around $2.9 million per season with an option on a fourth year.
Oates became the 47th player in NHL history and the 15th fastest to score his 1,000th career point on October 7, 1997, against the New York Islanders. He reached the milestone by scoring a hat-trick and adding two assists for the sixth five-point game of his career.
The Capitals reached the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Detroit Red Wings in a four-game sweep, their first finals appearance in franchise history.
The Capitals named Oates the ninth captain in franchise history before the 1999–2000 season, after the departure of his predecessor, Dale Hunter.
He led the team in scoring with 71 points and played his 1,000th NHL game on December 22, 1999, against the Vancouver Canucks.
On January 14, 2002, Oates became the eighth player in NHL history to reach 1,000 career assists when he set up Dainus Zubrus‘ overtime-winning goal in a 1–0 victory over the Boston Bruins.
Late in the 2001–02 season, with his contract expiring after the season, the Capitals traded Oates to the Philadelphia Flyers on March 19, 2002, in exchange for goaltender Maxime Ouellet and the Flyers’ first, second, and third-round selections in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.
After the 2002 playoffs, Oates became an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, 2002, he signed a $3.5 million contract with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the 2002–03 season, with an option for 2003–04.
Anaheim reached the 2003 Stanley Cup Finals. In the third game of the series against the New Jersey Devils, Oates assisted on Ruslan Salei’s overtime-winning goal. It was Oates’ ninth career playoff overtime point, tying him with Joe Sakic and Doug Gilmour for the NHL all-time lead. The Ducks ultimately lost the series in seven games.
The Mighty Ducks declined their option on the 41-year-old Oates’ contract, again making him a free agent. He remained unsigned six weeks into the 2003–04 season until he agreed to a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on November 17, 2003. The Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention in their final game of the season with a 5–2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on April 4, 2004. Oates announced his retirement as a player right after the game.
Oates was one of the NHL’s great playmakers, a style he credits his father as encouraging.
Oates led the NHL in assists three times – 1992–93, 2000–01, and 2001–02 – and finished in the top ten on 12 occasions. Oates finished third in the league scoring three times: 1990–91, 1992–93, and 1993–94. He is also the only player in NHL history to center three 50-goal scorers, helping Brett Hull, Cam Neely, and Peter Bondra reach the mark. Besides being a great set man, Oates put the puck in the net, reaching the 20-goal mark seven times, including a career-high 45 in 1992–93, a season in which he led the league with 11 game-winning goals.
Boston teammate Ray Bourque suggested in 1994 that Oates was underrated, saying, “I think a lot of people take what he does for granted. He does it in a quiet way. He’s not a flashy guy.” “He’s not looking for attention. He goes out and does it. He’s the best centerman I’ve been around. I never knew he was this good playing against him because I didn’t see him this much.”
Others noted that Oates never received the attention nor honors of the other nine players on the NHL’s top ten all-time assists list.
At the time of Oates’ retirement, his 1,420 points were the 13th-highest total in NHL history, and his 1,079 assists ranked 5th. He played in a total of five NHL All-Star Games and was a six-time finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct on the ice.
On June 26, 2012, he was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He then returned to the Washington Capitals, where he was named the 16th head coach in franchise history. He succeeded Dale Hunter, who had decided not to renew his contract.
On December 27, 2014, the New Jersey Devils hired Oates to become what the team referred to as a “co-head coach” after the firing of head coach Peter DeBoer. Oates split coaching duties with former Devils captain Scott Stevens, with each coach responsible for a specific group of players; Oates was responsible for the forwards, while Stevens was responsible for the defensemen.
Although he was undrafted, undersized, and overlooked, he became one of the greatest players and assist leaders in NHL history.
I was pleased to meet Adam Oates and Brian Lawton at an NHL exhibition game between the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 21, 2009, in Regina, Saskatchewan. Oates was very friendly and commented that it had been long since he had been asked for an autograph. He and Lawton (Minnesota North Stars former #1 Pick in 1983) were seated directly behind me.
Keep Your Stick on the Ice.
