Adam Oates, who won a Calder Cup championship as a rookie with the 1985-86 Adirondack Red Wings, was named head coach of the Washington Capitals today.
Two hours later, he was announced as one of the newest class of inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Oates, who totaled 1,420 points in 1,337 career NHL games with Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Anaheim and Edmonton, notched 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points in just 34 games for Adirondack in his first pro season out of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
That spring, Oates tallied seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 17 playoff games as the Red Wings won their second of four Calder Cup championships.
Oates, who has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with Tampa Bay (2009-10) and New Jersey (2010-12), served as an honorary captain at the 2007 AHL All-Star Classic in recognition of his outstanding career.
Oates becomes the 113th member of the Hockey Hall of Fame with ties to the American Hockey League, and the 10th current NHL head coach to have won a Calder Cup either as a coach or as a player.
