Not when the guy wants to renegotiate his contract for a 3rd time.
Oates was a whiner. Oates sealed his fate with the Blues when he refused to come out and be acknowledged for being one of the stars of the game. Shanahan ordered him traded and he was, Good riddance to him. Of course Oates also worked his way out of Boston. He had all the skill in the world but a me first player.
I was quite young when Oates was in his heyday and always thought in retrospect that he didn't completely get his due for the kind of impact he had in STL and Boston. Of course, I also didn't find out about all of the contract stuff until much later, so I'm certain that plays a big part in his legacy as far as casting a bit of a shadow over what he accomplished during those peak years.
It's just funny that you call one of the top-two pure play-makers of his era a "me first player." I completely understand why you say that and there is some truth to that, but that did not translate to his game. "Money Player" is a term that gets thrown around and that's the category that I would put him in. Certainly nothing wrong with being a player of that ilk, just goes against the "good 'ol Canadian boy; work hard, keep your mouth shut, and play for the love of the game" narrative. Plenty of "me first" and "money players" in the Hall of Fame and I guess he's one of them.
Also wondered what was up with Oates personality wise. He always just kind of looked like a jerk (punchable face syndrome) but not every person that has that is actually a bad person.
The point totals were always there. Not like he stopped playing.
Interesting he's a coach now along with another world class jerk Tom Barrasso. Wonder if they've learned/changed or are still the same.
Fwiw I was always impressed with the point totals Oates continued to put up into his late 30s during the dead puck era (though pre 2005 the NHL was more of an old mans league)
I have totally thought this on several occasions.
My theory about Oates was that he was a lacrosse guy that happened to be very good at hockey. I just don't think he had a deep, burning passion to play hockey. I could be completely wrong about that and I don't have any type of special insight, but he just has a very mathematical approach to the game. My impression is that before RPI went on a run and won an NCAA championship, he probably had no inkling that he would play in the NHL, and once that became a reality it was more of an avenue to make a living. Most of all, I think he is/was also a very intelligent person and he carried himself like a person who knows they are very intelligent... hence the punchable face.
I also share your sentiment about being impressed with his play later in his career. Even when he was close to his expiration date, watching him and Steve Thomas playing with younger players during that 2003 Cup run with Anaheim was something special. Their skating was brutal, but their smarts were on full display. They both scored a couple huge, timely goals because they always knew where to be.
He could be a great guy or he could be a total jerk. Although it's always better when someone you look up to is a good dude, I don't really care. The guy could flat out play and I really enjoyed watching him do it.