Update – June 26, 2012 – He’s in! Oates has finally been inducted into the Hall.
Just as much an injustice as Rogie Vachon not being in the Hockey Hall of Fame is the fact that Adam Oates has been denied. Oates is one of the best set-up men in the history of the game and had an outstanding career despite not winning any major awards or the Stanley Cup.
Find Adam Oates rookie cards on eBay, right now!
Adam played 1,337 regular season games in a career that spanned from 1985-86 to 2003-04 – not bad for an undrafted player. Oates began his career with the Detroit Red Wings but did the most damage with the St. Louis Blues and the Boston Bruins. Along the way, Adam also spent time with the Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers.
The Adam Oates rookie card appears in the 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee series as card number 123. Beckett Hockey Monthly has the card valued at up to $15. The Topps card with the same number from the same year is also considered Adam’s rookie card but is valued less at $10.
Oates holds the St. Louis Blues assists record for a single season with 90 during the magical 1990-91 season when he teamed up with Brett Hull. Hull scored the third highest total in NHL history with 86 goals, a St. Louis Blues record, and most were set up by Oates. Hull finished second in the race for the Art Ross Trophy with 131 points while Oates finished third with 115. Wayne Gretzky of the Los Angeles Kings finished first with 163.
Bigger things were to come. In 1992-93 with the Boston Bruins, Oates scored 45 and assisted on 97 for 142 points. Because of the previous feats of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito, none of these totals were Boston records. The 97 assists is the 15th highest single season total in NHL history. His 142 points stands as the 22nd highest single season total of all-time. The Bruins finished first in the Adams Division and second overall in the NHL. However, the Bruins were swept in the first round by the Buffalo Sabres, a team that barely made it over the .500 mark during the regular season.
On twelve occasions, Oates finished seventh or better in assists. On three occasions, he led the league. His career total of 1,079 assists is sixth all-time and his 1,420 points places him 16th.
