Adam Oates Adam Oates ( born August 27 , 1962 ) is a retired professional player . Playing career . Oates ' break came when Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute offered him a scholarship . He played for the college from 1982 to 1985 , where he majored in management and was a contributor to RPI ' s 1985 NCAA Division I championship . Oates eventually graduated with a Management degree from RPI in 1991 . As of the end of the 2004 – 05 season , Oates still held school records for most assists in a season ( 60 , 1984 – 85 ) , most points in a season ( 91 , 1984 – 85 ) , and most career points ( 150 ) . He is third on the school ' s all - time list for most assists per game ( 1 . 53 ) and tied for third all - time in career points ( 216 ) . After Rensselaer ' s NCAA championship season , Oates signed as an undrafted free agent with the Detroit Red Wings , with the richest rookie contract up to this time at $ 1 million over four years . Although the team ' s second [ [ Centre ] behind [ [ Steve Yzerman ] ] , Oates solidified his reputation as an elite NHL playmaker with the Red Wings , and by his last season with the club [ [ 1988 – 89 NHL season | 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 . Due in no small part to the excellent playmaking of Oates , Hull had three consecutive seasons with at least 70 goals , including the [ [ 1990 – 91 NHL season | 1990 – 91 season ] ] when Hull scored 86 ( a record for right wingers ) and won the [ [ Hart Trophy ] ] . Oates also had a spectacular season , as he had 90 assists and 115 points in only 61 games , earning him an NHL Second Team All - Star . However , as Oates was paid far lower than his market worth , he held out for much of the next season until he was traded to the [ [ Boston Bruins ] ] in return for [ [ Craig Janney ] ] and [ [ Stéphane Quintal ] ] . Oates had perhaps his best seasons yet in [ [ 1992 – 93 NHL season | 1992 – 93 ] ] , as he scored a career - high 45 goals , 97 assists and 142 points to finish third overall in regular season scoring behind [ [ Mario Lemieux ] ] and [ [ Pat LaFontaine ] ] . Oates ' 97 assists were more formidable than his totals in his St . Louis years , considering 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 . The next season , Oates again finished third with 32 goals , 80 assists , and 112 points , behind [ [ Wayne Gretzky ] ] and [ [ Sergei Fedorov ] ] . Oates played with Boston until the [ [ 1996 – 97 NHL season ] ] , when he was traded on March 1 , 1997 to the [ [ Washington Capitals ] ] with [ [ Bill Ranford ] ] and [ [ Rick Tocchet ] ] for [ [ Jim Carey ] ] , [ [ Anson Carter ] ] , [ [ Jason Allison ] ] and Washington ' s 3rd round choice ( Lee Goren ) in the 1997 Entry Draft , in a blockbuster move near the trading deadline . As a Capital , he changed his jersey number to 77 ( which he would wear for the remainder of his career ) , as a homage to his former Boston Bruins teammate and friend , [ [ Ray Bourque ] ] . 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 league in assists in [ [ 2000 – 01 NHL season | 2000 – 01 ] ] and [ [ 2001 – 02 NHL season | 2001 – 02 ] ] , both feats were done in the two seasons leading up to his fortieth birthday which also made him the oldest player to do so . 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 NHL season | 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 in seven games by the [ [ New Jersey Devils ] ] . 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 2 goals and 18 points in 60 games , although the Oilers stayed in the playoff hunt until the end of the season . Oates announced his retirement on April 3 , 2004 after his team was narrowly eliminated from the postseason Legacy . Oates is considered one of the more creative and effective playmakers in the modern NHL era , as he had more assists than any other player during the 1990s except for Gretzky . Brett Hull and Oates united to form a high - scoring tandem for three years , with Oates supplying the playmaking for Hull , who was a natural sniper . During those three years , Hull ' s goal totals were 72 – 86 – 70 . Outside of the three seasons , when Hull was not centered by Oates , he never surmounted the 60 goal mark . Despite his skillful playmaking , strong face - off win percentage , and impressive scoring statistics , Oates never won the Stanley Cup in his career . He was also well known as a clean player , being a six time finalist for the [ [ Lady Byng Trophy ] ] but losing to [ [ Wayne Gretzky ] ] , [ [ Pierre Turgeon ] ] , [ [ Ron Francis ] ] , and [ [ Joe Sakic ] ] . He finished third in regular season scoring three times ( 1990 – 1991 , 1992 – 1993 , and 1993 – 1994 ) , but only made the postseason All - Star Second Team in 1991 . The other two seasons near the top , Oates narrowly missed out because players that finished ahead of him in the scoring place also played [ [ centre ] ] . Oates ' s lack of such honours meant that he was often overlooked compared to his peers . Considering the 1992 - 93 and 1993 - 94 seasons combined , Oates scored the most points , with [ [ Doug Gilmour ] ] coming in second . Oates was considered by many hockey experts to be a favorite for the [ [ Hockey Hall of Fame ] ] in 2007 and 2008 , which were his first two years of eligibility . He was Evantually inducted in 2012 . References . [ [ Category : Born in 1962 ] ] [ [ Category : Adirondack Red Wings players ] ] [ [ Category : Boston Bruins players ] ] [ [ Category : Calder Cup champions ] ] [ [ Category : Canadian ice hockey players ] ] [ [ Category : Detroit Red Wings players ] ] [ [ Category : Edmonton Oilers players ] ] [ [ Category : Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players ] ] [ [ Category : NHL players with 100 point seasons ] ] [ [ Category : NHL All - Stars ] ] [ [ Category : Philadelphia Flyers players ] ] [ [ Category : St . Louis Blues players ] ] [ [ Category : Washington Capitals players ] ] [ [ Category : Retired in 2004 ] ] [ [ Category : Hockey Hall of Famer ] ] [ [ Category : Hockey Hall of Fame ] ] [ [ Category : Undrafted ] ]