Adam Oates Named Caps Coach, Among Group Elected to Hall of Fame
Fitzgerald Cecilio

Washington DC

Former Washington Capitals captain Adam Oates earned two new titles in one day.

After he was named new head coach of the Washington Capitals, Oates was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2012 alongside Pavel Bure, Joe Sakic and Mats Sundin.

Oates, who played for the Capitals from 1997 to 2002 and was captain from 1999 to 2001, replaced Dale Hunter, also a former Washington captain. He is the 16th coach in the history of the Capitals.

"Adam was a highly intelligent player in the NHL for 19 seasons," Capitals general manager George McPhee said in a statement. "He has been an assistant coach in our conference for the past three seasons and is prepared to lead our club as head coach."

Oates spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the New Jersey Devils, overseeing their power play and working with star Ilya Kovalchuk to become a better two-way player.

Considered one of the league's top passers during his heydays, Oates was responsible for career highs by Brett Hull, Cam Neely and the Capitals' Chris Simon, among others.

Later in his career, he was known for the defensive play and finished in the top 10 in Selke Trophy voting. The trophy was awarded to the best defensive player in the league.

Oates has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2007 but has been passed over several times despite being 16th all-time in points and one of just eleven players to ever compile at least 1,000 assists.

He was a three time All-Star and led the NHL in assists in three different seasons, including two while with the Caps. He was the oldest player to lead in that category for two straight years.

Oates' career spanned from 1985 to 2004 with stops in Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Philadelphia, Anaheim, Edmonton and Washington. He retired in 2004 after scoring appearing in 1,337 games while scoring 341 goals with 1,079 assists.