Adam Robert Oates (born August 27, 1962) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, former co-head coach for the New Jersey Devils and former head coach for the Washington Capitals.
He 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.
Oates was born on August 27, 1962, in Weston, a neighborhood in Toronto.
As a youth, he played both hockey and box lacrosse, favouring the latter sport.
1965
He became the first RPI hockey player to earn a berth on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American team since 1965.
1975
He played in the 1975 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Toronto.
Oates played five seasons with the Etobicoke Eclipse of the Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) Junior A Lacrosse League.
1980
He scored 89 points in 43 games during 1980–81 and 159 points – including 105 assists – in 1981–82.
He went unselected in the NHL Entry Draft; however, as scouts considered him too slow to play in the NHL.
He returned to high school to complete his diploma when he was recruited to play for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
Oates was voted to the ECAC's all-decade team of the 1980s.
1981
An offensive standout, Oates' total of 181 points in 19 games in 1981 was the 11th highest total in OLA junior history at the time.
As the league's leading scorer, he won the Bobby Allan Award and in one game that season, set OLA Junior A single-game records of 19 assists and 29 points.
1982
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.
1983
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.
1984
He was named an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) all-star and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in both 1984 and 1985.
Oates played one season of Senior A with the Brampton Excelsiors of Major Series Lacrosse but left the game in 1984 to focus on his hockey career.
Describing his younger self as a "punk", Oates said he partied frequently.
He dropped out of high school to focus on hockey and ended up working as a gas station attendant at age 19.
Oates played two full seasons and parts of a third with the Junior A Markham Waxers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJAHL).
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.
In his three years with RPI, the Engineers recorded an 85–19–1 record and won the ECAC championships in 1984 and 1985.
1985
Oates 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.
He holds the record for most points all-time of any NHL player who also played NCAA Hockey.
After helping RPI win the 1985 national championship, he was included in the all-tournament team.
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.
2004
Known as an elite playmaker, Oates' career total of 1,079 assists was the fifth-highest total in NHL history at the time of his 2004 retirement.
He has the highest amount of games played and points scored among undrafted NHL players, with 1,337 and 1,420, respectively.
He was inducted into RPI's Athletics Hall of Fame and was named the inaugural member of the hockey team's Ring of Honor in 2004.
NHL teams took an interest in Oates following his junior season; at least five teams attempted to sign him.
2012
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.
Oates was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 12, 2012.
2017
In 2017, Oates was named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players in history.
As a college player, Oates was a standout forward for the RPI Engineers.
He set single-season school records for assists and points.
