Adam Oates Named Head Coach of Washington Capitals

by Ricky Doyle on Tue, Jun 26, 2012 at 3:08PM

The Washington Capitals' coaching search is over.

The Caps announced on Tuesday that they have hired Adam Oates as their 16th head coach in franchise history.

Oates, who played 19 seasons in the NHL, has served as an assistant coach for the past three seasons. He was behind Tampa Bay's bench in 2009-10 before moving to New Jersey, where he served as an assistant for this season's Eastern Conference champions.

Oates, 49, totaled 1,420 points (341 goals, 1,079 assists) over the course of his NHL career. He spent time with Detroit, St. Louis, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Anaheim and Edmonton. Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux are the only players in NHL history to average more assists per game than Oates.

"We are very pleased to name Adam Oates as the new head coach of the Washington Capitals," Washington's vice president and general manager George McPhee said. "Adam was a highly intelligent player in the NHL for 19 seasons. 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, who retired as a player following the 2003-04 season, recorded a career-high 142 points (45 goals, 97 assists) as a member of the Bruins in 1992-93.

Photo via Twitter/@washcaps