Coyotes Lore: Greg Adams

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Greg Adams, only spent two seasons in a Coyote uniform, but his present, past, and future are with Arizona.

 

Greg Adams – Beginnings

Greg Daren Adams was raised in Nelson, British Columbia and played his junior hockey with the BCJHL’s Kelowna Buckaroos. He decided to pursue his education and enrolled at Northern Arizona University (NAU) at the age of 20. Adams was one of the last Lumberjack players as the university cancelled the program in 1985. He had success in Flagstaff and was elected to the NAU Hall of Fame in 1990. In the 1983-84 season he scored 44 goals and 73 points, but it was not enough for NHL teams to draft him. He was offered a free agent contract by the New Jersey Devils in 1984.

 

NHL Career, 1984-2001

Adams spent half of his first season in the minors with the Maine Mariners improving his defensive skills. The following year, he was with the Devils full time and scored 77 points, 35 goals. After his third season in New Jersey, he was traded along with goaltender Kirk McLean to his hometown Canucks. Adams made quite an impression, scoring four goals in his first game for Vancouver against the Blues. He played in all 80 games during the 1987-88 season earning a career high 36 goals and representing the Canucks in the All-Star Game. An interesting situation occurred in the 1988-89 season when Vancouver acquired Greg Charles Adams from the Oilers leading the Canucks to have two Greg Adams on the roster. The elder Adams (Greg Charles) was referred to as Greg C. Adams, and the junior Adams was given the nickname “Gus” although his middle name is Daren.

Arguably, his biggest moment came in the 1993-94 postseason. Gus scored a clutch goal in overtime of the Conference Finals vs the Maple Leafs to lift the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Finals. He repeated the magic against the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, game one, scoring the game winner. However; Vancouver would come up one game short of winning the championship. Midway through the 1994-95 season he was traded to the Stars where he spent the next three injury-plagued seasons. Returning to Arizona, he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes, having two 40+ point seasons. His final NHL season was with the Panthers only managing 23 points in 60 games.

Post-NHL

He spent once season in the German DEL, playing for the Frankfort Lions before hanging up the skates in 2002. He decided to make his winter home in the Phoenix area after his career, and maintains a residence in British Columbia. After a few questions from fellow Canadians looking for homes in Arizona he decided to get involved in real estate earning his license in 2009. If you’re looking to buy a place, he can help you out