Former Bruin Adam Oates adds points — and value — to players’ careers - The Boston Globe
This is the busy season for former Bruins center Adam Oates, darting across North America for the better part of 90 days, June through August, to work one-on-one with his 50-plus NHL player/clients as the game’s consummate Mr. Fix It.
Oates, 56, hung out his shingle four years ago as sole proprietor of Oates Sports Group, dedicated to enhancing his clients’ skill level, particularly their offensive production. Results have been strong.
According to Oates, 37 of his players reached career-high point totals last season, including Ryan O’Reilly. The Blues pivot posted personal bests in assists and points, then opened a postseason hardware store by winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP for the Cup-winning Blues and added the Selke as the NHL’s top defensive forward.
Ex-Bruin Blake Wheeler has been an Oates client for the past couple of seasons. The 6-foot-5-inch right winger has responded with back-to-back campaigns of 91 points, career bests, after averaging 76 points the two prior seasons.
“That’s 15 points, and I can tell you, Blake loves him,” said Matt Keator, Wheeler’s Boston-based agent. “He’s helped build an extra dimension into his game — small things that make a big difference, the use of time and space out there, more spatial awareness.”
Just days ago, Oates took on what may be the greatest challenge of his four years in the skills biz, adding former Bruin Milan Lucic to his client list.
The 31-year-old “Looch”, who was recently flipped from Edmonton to Calgary, is in dire need of offensive help and overall career recovery.
Shooting is the most overrated thing to work on in the world. Because, think about it, some guys get one shot every two games and it’s a rebound, a tip, a breakaway. Your job is to be in the right spot at the right time. That’s it. Get there. Execute that. If you do that, you’ll get more shots. If you get to that point, and you’re still not scoring, then we’ll talk about shot.”
■ “When you allocate your time in the summer, what really matters? What really matters? You know, we’ve got into this craze of the strength coaches, right? OK, you gotta be in shape, I get that, you have to be strong. But for hockey, if you are spending more time being in the gym than working on your hands, you’re an idiot.
This is the busy season for former Bruins center Adam Oates, darting across North America for the better part of 90 days, June through August, to work one-on-one with his 50-plus NHL player/clients as the game’s consummate Mr. Fix It.
Oates, 56, hung out his shingle four years ago as sole proprietor of Oates Sports Group, dedicated to enhancing his clients’ skill level, particularly their offensive production. Results have been strong.
According to Oates, 37 of his players reached career-high point totals last season, including Ryan O’Reilly. The Blues pivot posted personal bests in assists and points, then opened a postseason hardware store by winning the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP for the Cup-winning Blues and added the Selke as the NHL’s top defensive forward.
Ex-Bruin Blake Wheeler has been an Oates client for the past couple of seasons. The 6-foot-5-inch right winger has responded with back-to-back campaigns of 91 points, career bests, after averaging 76 points the two prior seasons.
“That’s 15 points, and I can tell you, Blake loves him,” said Matt Keator, Wheeler’s Boston-based agent. “He’s helped build an extra dimension into his game — small things that make a big difference, the use of time and space out there, more spatial awareness.”
Just days ago, Oates took on what may be the greatest challenge of his four years in the skills biz, adding former Bruin Milan Lucic to his client list.
The 31-year-old “Looch”, who was recently flipped from Edmonton to Calgary, is in dire need of offensive help and overall career recovery.
Shooting is the most overrated thing to work on in the world. Because, think about it, some guys get one shot every two games and it’s a rebound, a tip, a breakaway. Your job is to be in the right spot at the right time. That’s it. Get there. Execute that. If you do that, you’ll get more shots. If you get to that point, and you’re still not scoring, then we’ll talk about shot.”
■ “When you allocate your time in the summer, what really matters? What really matters? You know, we’ve got into this craze of the strength coaches, right? OK, you gotta be in shape, I get that, you have to be strong. But for hockey, if you are spending more time being in the gym than working on your hands, you’re an idiot.
