How the hell did Craig Adams play 951 games in the NHL?

[Vukotal Recall]

Almost unbelievably bad goal-scoring, garbage FO%, a minus player every year... the uselessness doesn't end. I know Disco Dan Bylsma was obsessed with him, but he clearly wasn't the only one. Slush money from Brunei? Harvard old boys network? How??

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[Vikke]

Coaches love their safe (bad, non-creative un-skilled) players.

 

[Mr. T]

Almost unbelievably bad goal-scoring, garbage FO%, a minus player every year... the uselessness doesn't end. I know Disco Dan Bylsma was obsessed with him, but he clearly wasn't the only one. Slush money from Brunei? Harvard old boys network? How??

Penguin fans have debated this for years.

Personally, I think the Craig Adams nadir was reached when the Pens put out that awful Iron Man picture.

I'd link to the image but I can't bring myself to look at it again.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

He was an effective 4th liner for Carolina. Him and Kevyn Adams and LaRose were a great energy line the coach could trust to not make things worse.

 

[bucks_oil]

Almost unbelievably bad goal-scoring, garbage FO%, a minus player every year... the uselessness doesn't end. I know Disco Dan Bylsma was obsessed with him, but he clearly wasn't the only one. Slush money from Brunei? Harvard old boys network? How??

Had to look him up... wow, you weren't kidding.

Played 14 seasons

Never scored more than 21 pts

Played 10mins on average

Played on good teams but was -82 on the career. Only +1 and +2 in two of fourteen respective seasons.

Didn't have a single season where he had a positive corsi and was deployed relatively equally in Ozone vs Dzone, so doesn't appear to be the guy you put out there for the key Dzone face off.

Didn't block a lot of shots and his only redeeming quality seems to be that he had more takeaways than giveaways.

That's a remarkable career in its unremarkability.

 

[Elvs]

I think he played wing for most of his career, so the FO% doesn't really mean much. Most 4th liners are gonna be minus players. An offensive minded forward isn't gonna produce much with limited icetime on the 4th line, and might go even more minus.

Yeah it's mind-boggling that he played nearly 1000 games, but at one point he was a dependeable 4th liner who could kill penalties. I don't remember him getting any hate until the last few years in Pittsburgh.

 

[MXD]

...And Marc Bergevin nearly played 1200.

 

[Oliewud]

tenacity

 

[K Fleur]

Bylsma healthy scratched Jussi Jokinen so Adams could play in 2013.

Tanner Glass, and Craig Adams made up 2/3 of the Penguins 4th line for an extended period. Good times...

 

[King In The North]

Didn't he play with Crosby on occassion under Bylsma..

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think he played wing for most of his career, so the FO% doesn't really mean much. Most 4th liners are gonna be minus players. An offensive minded forward isn't gonna produce much with limited icetime on the 4th line, and might go even more minus.

Yeah it's mind-boggling that he played nearly 1000 games, but at one point he was a dependeable 4th liner who could kill penalties. I don't remember him getting any hate until the last few years in Pittsburgh.

I tend to agree. I may be misremembering, but he was just vanilla, and sometimes a veteran who isn't going to hurt you is a good fit on a 4th line rather than a boom-bust player. I imagine that goes doubly so if the guy is a good personality/leader/other intangibles we're not privy to that keeps guys like Tanner Glass around for all eternity.

 

[Esq]

Because some coaches value guys that don't make mistakes over guys that try to make plays.

Makes for very exciting hockey.

 

[The GM]

Leadership, he's often referred to as the third musketeer between Messier and Toews.

 

[Ragamuffin Gunner]

Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

Penguin fans have debated this for years.

Personally, I think the Craig Adams nadir was reached when the Pens put out that awful Iron Man picture.

I'd link to the image but I can't bring myself to look at it again.

 

[WarriorofTime]

That's how many times the coaches put him in the lineup.

 

[Beerfish]

Coaches love their safe (bad, non-creative un-skilled) players.

This says it perfectly.

 

[KingsFan7824]

You don't play 951 games, with another 106 playoff games, by accident. You can fall through a crack for a year or two, but not for the equivalent of almost 12 seasons. The guy did something right. He was the 223rd pick. That guy usually doesn't play almost 1000 regular season games just because. He brought something to the teams he played on.

 

[Erz8771]

Ray Shero and Dan Bylsma

I was waiting for him to sign with the devils or sabres this year.

 

[ISensFanI]

More takeaways than giveaways is pretty good

 

[wej20]

He had a few years as a good 12th forward/PKer but he should have probably played 500 games rather than almost 1000. Also had 74 career fights, I don't think I ever saw him win a fight as a Penguin..

 

[Battle Lin]

there are tons of bottom 6 forwards on every team that just jump on ice each shift and just work and go and play hard and grind and fight until they get off the ice, and they barely have hockey skills, but coaches love hard work so

 

[Makar Goes Fast]

He was an effective 4th liner for Carolina. Him and Kevyn Adams and LaRose were a great energy line the coach could trust to not make things worse.

i remember this line as being very good.

 

[SirKillalot]

Wasn't he a good PK-guy for a long time?

 

[Woodrow]

More takeaways than giveaways is pretty good

It's difficult to giveaway the puck when you never have it.