The Matchup: Mario Lemieux vs. Adam Oates

The Question: How do Lemieux and Oates compare as playmakers?

Mario Lemieux

Adam Oates

Oates a great set-up man, but Mario is ... Mario
There's no doubt Mario is going to come out on top in a head-to-head comparison. No one will disagree with that. It doesn't matter what aspects you talk about; offensively, Mario is the most dominating one-on-one guy I've ever seen.

The thing about Mario is he draws people to him. He can make a great play by hitting an open guy while one, two or three players are coming at him. That asset – and his threat as a goal scorer – is what allows him to make plays.

Adam has always been known as a playmaker first. His numbers year after year show it – he's a set-up man. Oates looks to make a pass first, not shoot. Not many people realize that from 1990-91 to 1998-99, Oates was second only to Wayne Gretzky in total assists (662 to 614).

At the same time, in the overall picture, Mario has more weapons at his disposal.

Oates is great at combining with his wingers. Whether it was Brett Hull or Cam Neely, Oates develops great chemistry. Look at Chris Simon last year. He develops that when he's consistently with the same combination of players. Like Lemieux with Jaromir Jagr, when Adam has chemistry with players, it works.

Oates also is terrific with a blind pass because he's got it worked out with his linemates – he'd always hit Hull or Neely without looking. Defending against him is hard because he knows what his linemates are going to do before they do it. Oates has great hands, and he knows how to orchestrate a play like Mario. The both see openings, create openings and are able to throw the puck into openings. It's a rare ability. All they need is a goal scorer to turn it into a goal.

Oates has a great logic to his game in that he makes logical plays, even with his defensive assignments. Offensively, he requires a great finisher or a skill player who can finish. That's why he worked well with Neely and Hull. They could read him, and know when and where to go; and that if they went there, the puck would come. That's dangerous, but it doesn't present the same threat as Mario creates by drawing opponents to him.

Mario has that extra magic that makes him one of the top four players to play the game. Ask Oates and he'll tell you, "Oh yeah, there's no doubt."

Adam's overall game is a thinking game. Which doesn't mean Mario isn't a thinker, but Mario has great natural gifts, and his natural instincts are so good, it's really art and magic. With Adam's game, he's also concerned about his defensive play and positioning, and his overall game is very well thought out and orchestrated.

Brian Engblom is a hockey analyst for ESPN. He played 11 seasons in the NHL as a defenseman, including six with the Montreal Canadiens.