Adam Oates would be tearing up today's NHL.
- Thread starter Balloonknott
- Start date
Nalens Oga
Registered User
fireworks
Registered User
Gretzky was a great goal scorer, but he was the best passer ever.
11 times with over 100 assists in the season?
No offense to Oates...loved Oates
11 times with over 100 assists in the season?
No offense to Oates...loved Oates
I Hate Blake Coleman
Bandwagon Burner
Let's be serious, Crosby would never have shared that Richard had Ovechkin not played 10 less games.
Do you disagree?
.
Oates holds the record for the oldest player ever to lead the league in assists. That was actually in the middle of the dead puck era.
I Hate Blake Coleman
Bandwagon Burner
But he was well passed his prime.
Oates' best seasons were in the highest scoring NHL seasons in recent memory.
hatterson
Registered User
I think that's pretty obvious given that Ovechkin was only 1 goal behind, but that doesn't change the fact that Crosby is a far more prolific goal scorer than Oates ever was.
Crosby's best 5 goal scoring years: 51, 39, 36, 33, 32 (41 games)
Oates' best 5 goal scoring years: 45, 32, 25 (61 games), 25, 23
Oates would put up sick numbers, and make his winger some kind of hero to his hometown fans, but he's not the best Crosby comparison.
That would be early-career Steve Yzerman. Crosby plays the same kind of game, and like Yzerman is an excellent playmaker with good goal scoring skills and high point output.
One major difference? Yzerman used his slapshot a great deal more than Crosby. Although that could also have been a result of the differences in goaltending style/quality across the eras.
That would be early-career Steve Yzerman. Crosby plays the same kind of game, and like Yzerman is an excellent playmaker with good goal scoring skills and high point output.
One major difference? Yzerman used his slapshot a great deal more than Crosby. Although that could also have been a result of the differences in goaltending style/quality across the eras.
Yes a player who started his career in 1985--during the highest scoring era of the NHL--would be tearing it up now.
No clutching and grabbing? It's not 2006.
No clutching and grabbing? It's not 2006.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
I get what you're saying, but the guy still led the league in assists at both 38 and 39, right in the middle of the dead puck era. That validates the idea that he would have absolutely killed it in an obstruction-free league.... which is exactly what he did in the early 1990s.
Any way you slice it, he would be right up there with Thornton, St.
Louis and Sedin as one of the great setup men of this era.
tarheelhockey
Offside Review Specialist
Another major difference -- unlike early-career Yzerman, Crosby has a reputation for being well-rounded and dominating all three zones. I can't even remember the last time someone complained about him floating.
I might agree that Oates was a better playmaker than most or all of the players right now. However, while the clutch & grab has been reduced, there is major interference going on in today's game despite what you may read or hear.
Roboturner913
Registered User
- Jul 3, 2012
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I absolutely believe Adam Oates would be a great player in any era, but the only year in recent memory that even comes close to approximating the late 80's-early 90's is 05-06. Even then, you had only 7 players score 100 points, and nobody was putting up the insane 150-160 point seasons that were going on then.
He would be better than any of them. Oates is only player to center 3! 50 goal scorers. Oates literally made good players like Hull and Neely into hall of famers.
