Adam Oates HHOF?

Hardyvan123

tweet@HardyintheWack
Jul 4, 2010
17,552
24
Vancouver
Ok, point taken. Has anyone ever acknowledged a players draft position as a merit to getting in the Hall? I see that Oates was not drafted whereas Turgeon was first overall, I believe. This should only serve to solidify Oates' case as a HOFer even more.

To me Oates deserves to get in and Turgeon will need to buy a ticket but what does draft position have to do with anything?

If we used that logic Luc Robitalle would be the best LW ever.
 

revolverjgw

Registered User
Oct 6, 2003
8,483
19
Nova Scotia
Ok, point taken. Has anyone ever acknowledged a players draft position as a merit to getting in the Hall? I see that Oates was not drafted whereas Turgeon was first overall, I believe. This should only serve to solidify Oates' case as a HOFer even more.

It's an interesting bit of trivia but I don't think draft position is given any importance in these arguments, whether by us hfboarders or the experts good ol' boys in the selection committee.
 

canucks4ever

Registered User
Mar 4, 2008
3,997
67
Brett Hull, Cam Neely and Peter Bondra were good players without oates, but they all produced thier highest offensive peak with him. 1998 is the only season bondra was top 15 in points and he had the best playoff run of his career. 1994 was the only year neely came remotely close to finishing top 3 in points per game. Brett Hull says himself that his career went downhill as soon as oates was traded.
 

Drake1588

UNATCO
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Jul 2, 2002
30,101
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Northern Virginia
Oates made Chris Simon a 30-goal scorer in the dead puck era. Just let that one sink in for a minute.

He has the numbers, but while I don't think he was perceived as a jerk or actively disliked, per se, he also didn't play league politics very deftly and was not really a member of the old boys club upon his retirement. He had already started up the Old Time Hockey attire business before he left the league as a player. Kept to the margins. Politics has a great deal to do with perceptions when it comes time to consider various stars at HOF consideration time. Oates was not a consummate schmoozer.
 

canucks4ever

Registered User
Mar 4, 2008
3,997
67
Oates made Chris Simon a 30-goal scorer in the dead puck era. Just let that one sink in for a minute.

He has the numbers, but while I don't think he was perceived as a jerk or actively disliked, per se, he also didn't play league politics very deftly and was not really a member of the old boys club upon his retirement. He had already started up the Old Time Hockey attire business before he left the league as a player. Kept to the margins. Politics has a great deal to do with perceptions when it comes time to consider various stars at HOF consideration time. Oates was not a consummate schmoozer.

Also, i think Oates's defense game is underrated. He was completely one dimensional in St. Louis, but he improved as soon as he came to Boston. I remember watching him play the canucks back when i was a kid and he always back checked as soon as the bruins turned the puck over. When he joined the capitals, he was still scoring 70-80 points and playing defense, gilmour on the other hand became a journeyman by that time.
 

Padan

Registered User
Aug 16, 2006
534
2
Also, i think Oates's defense game is underrated. He was completely one dimensional in St. Louis, but he improved as soon as he came to Boston. I remember watching him play the canucks back when i was a kid and he always back checked as soon as the bruins turned the puck over. When he joined the capitals, he was still scoring 70-80 points and playing defense, gilmour on the other hand became a journeyman by that time.

Agreed. I remember an interview back in 2001 (or something) where Calle Johansson said that Oates is the best two-way center he has ever played with, and that he was really impressed by how Oates always worked his butt off to help his teams D-men.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,146
Ok, point taken. Has anyone ever acknowledged a players draft position as a merit to getting in the Hall? I see that Oates was not drafted whereas Turgeon was first overall, I believe. This should only serve to solidify Oates' case as a HOFer even more.

Martin St. Louis wasn't drafted - shockingly - either. I don't think that really matters though.

Curtis Joseph is a guy I don't believe should get in and he was never drafted. I know posters who swear by him though
 

Infinite Vision*

Guest
I think it's safe to say Oates made his wingers better to a greater extent than any center in history.
 

Infinite Vision*

Guest
What's with those two guy who played together in the '87 Canada Cup? :huh:

Two wingers Oates managed to help get 50 goals in 50 games or less. He turned Chris Simon into a 30 goalscorer in the dead puck era. In terms of helping your wingers score goals Oates is the best.
 

Big Phil

Registered User
Nov 2, 2003
31,703
4,146
There are guys who you often here other players mention who should "join them" in the HHOF someday. Yesterday Gilmour made reference in his speech to Pat Burns getting in. Stuff like that is nice, but it is drenched with emotion, maybe even blinded. Burns needs to get to the back of the line in order to get inducted.

But when we say that Oates should someday get in, it is with genuine wisdom. No emotion, just constant shock year after year that this guy gets passed over.

Is it safe to assume Oates is like the Cris Carter (NFL) of the hockey world? A guy with numbers impossible to overlook and his exclusion just impossible to justify. I think so personally
 

Ishdul

Registered User
Jan 20, 2007
3,996
160
There are guys who you often here other players mention who should "join them" in the HHOF someday. Yesterday Gilmour made reference in his speech to Pat Burns getting in. Stuff like that is nice, but it is drenched with emotion, maybe even blinded. Burns needs to get to the back of the line in order to get inducted.

But when we say that Oates should someday get in, it is with genuine wisdom. No emotion, just constant shock year after year that this guy gets passed over.

Is it safe to assume Oates is like the Cris Carter (NFL) of the hockey world? A guy with numbers impossible to overlook and his exclusion just impossible to justify. I think so personally
Off-topic but Carter's numbers are not impossible to overlook - he only once passed 1300 yards playing in a relatively good offensive period. He would be well behind Jerry Rice in the same time frame, obviously, but I'd also take him below Isaac Bruce and Tim Brown, neither of which are in the Hall of Fame (and I don't have much of a problem with their absence either), and only slightly ahead of Henry Ellard. It doesn't help that the recent group of retired WRs (Harrison, Moss, Owens, arguably a few others) are well ahead of him by any metric. Even if you want to induct him he is absolutely not a priority - NFL's restriction of 4 inductees of any kind, considering how many more players and coaches they have and the shorter length of the careers means that there are a lot more legit Hall of Fame candidates who have to wait a long time. Considering the numerous positions in the NFL and the obvious and real need to induct more QBs than other positions and I'd say Carter's absence from the Hall of Fame is very justifiable. Oates' isn't.
 

Jag68Sid87

Sullivan gots to go!
Oct 1, 2003
35,587
1,263
Montreal, QC
Yeah, I just don't get it either. Adam Oates is the second-best passer I've ever seen, behind only The Great One. Forsberg was damn close. Larionov. Mario. There are a lot of guys in the conversation. Oates was No. 2 in my book.

BUT, goals are sexy. Assists aren't. That pretty much tells the story, basically.
 

RECsGuy*

Guest
How is the HHOF not embarrassed by his absence? How do they justify his exclusion?
 

CanadianHockey

Smith - Alfie
Jul 3, 2009
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Petawawa
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I am also constantly frustrated when the HHoF announces its inductees and I see Oates passed over. One of the greatest playmakers to ever play the game and he still is waiting for his HHoF nod.
 

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,129
7,215
Regina, SK
Whoa there. Turgeon has a grand total of TWO top 10 point finishes compared to Oates, who did it an impressive seven times and was a top 3 scorer 3 times, putting him in elite company.

That's misleading though, because it cuts off anything beyond 10th as though it is worthless. When you put both packages together it is much, much closer than you think.

http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=937579
 

seventieslord

Student Of The Game
Mar 16, 2006
36,129
7,215
Regina, SK
Yeah, I think Oates gets overrated around here because people look at his assist totals without looking at his points totals. But there is no concievable way turgeon is in his class.

I think Oates should probably be in the HHOF, but I also think he's quite over-rated.

Brilliant playmaker, yes, but lots of warts there. Goalscoring record (save for one year) isn't great. Mediocre defensive player - very over-rated in that regard by people who equate faceoff ability with defensive play ... especially in his pre-Washington years he was quite poor. And he was a big-time mercenary who feuded his way out of organizations several times during his career and wasn't considered a great team guy. Never played a single game of international hockey, which is amazing in this era. Never won anything.

But all that said, 1000 assists should put you in the HHOF, full stop.

__________

As for Oates vs. Turgeon, I don't think there's much difference there at all.

Oates had a better career, but largely because Turgeon had a knack for getting hurt during his best years, and lost 4 top-10 finishes (and a potential Art Ross in 1999-00) to injury. If Turgeon could have stayed healthier, it would be a near dead heat.

And I don't think there was much difference in their intangibles. Oates was a better faceoff man, but otherwise? Meh.

To me, one guy just got unfairly lambasted for his lack of grit/character while the other got a free pass.

I dunno, to me, that seems at least "conceivable".
 

Cory Trevor

Smokes, Let's go
Sep 23, 2009
8,225
22
Waltham
The Hall is a joke. It's meaningless. I take the collective word of this message board over the word of the actual voters.

You might be right lol. No offense to Mark Howe or Joe Nieuwendyke but Oats should have made it in before either of those guys. Howe got in because he was very well liked, a solid NHL player, and his last name. Joe the same though was a better player and didn't have the name.

Oates was better than both. I don't get it sometimes how they select these players...
 

Ishdul

Registered User
Jan 20, 2007
3,996
160
You might be right lol. No offense to Mark Howe or Joe Nieuwendyke but Oats should have made it in before either of those guys. Howe got in because he was very well liked, a solid NHL player, and his last name. Joe the same though was a better player and didn't have the name.

Oates was better than both. I don't get it sometimes how they select these players...
It's been discussed endlessly but Howe certainly deserved to be in and it's hard to buy him getting in because of being well liked or his last name when he had as long a wait as any deserving Hall of Famer I can think of.
 

begbeee

Registered User
Oct 16, 2009
4,158
30
Slovakia
Brett Hull, Cam Neely and Peter Bondra were good players without oates, but they all produced thier highest offensive peak with him. 1998 is the only season bondra was top 15 in points and he had the best playoff run of his career.
Bondra played with Nikolishin as his center during 1998.
 

TheDevilMadeMe

Registered User
Aug 28, 2006
52,271
6,981
Brooklyn
I dunno, to me, that seems at least "conceivable".

So basically, if Turgeon was:

a) a little bit better offensively
b) moderately better defensively
c) much better at faceoffs
d) not nearly so injury prone
e) not quite as soft

He'd be as good as Oates?

I'm not even that big a fan of Oates; I'd induct both Bure and Lindros before him among recent snubs, but he was definitely better than Turgeon.
 

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