Adam Creighton

Adam Creighton is the son of Dave Creighton, an NHL star throughout the 1950s and an AHL star throughout the 1960s. Dave even spent 1 season, 1961-62, in the city of Buffalo while playing with the AHL Bisons. Adam's uncle Fred was also a professional hockey player and later an award winning coach.

With those bloodlines it comes as no surprise that Adam Creighton was a highly talented hockey player. A giant of a hockey player at 6'5" and 220 pounds, Creighton was drafted 11th overall in the 1983 Entry Draft by Scotty Bowman following a fantastic junior career. The following season he led his junior team, the Ottawa 67's, to the Memorial Cup championship. He led all players in scoring and was named as the tournament MVP. His performance in that 1984 tournament ranks as one of the greatest in the storied history of the Memorial Cup.

The beginning to Adam's professional career was not as smooth however. He never seemed to get untracked under coach Scotty Bowman, and was quickly dubbed as one "Bowman's Busts" as a high draft pick who didn't appear to be working out. He split his first 2 pro seasons between the AHL and NHL. Despite his obvious puck skills and sense of the game, the big man lacked speed and agility to be a true scoring star at the NHL level. .

Adam didn't make it the NHL on a full time basis until 1986-87 when he scored 18 goals and 40 points in 56 games. He seemed to find some real confidence under new coach Ted Sator. However Adam did battle injuries and missed 24 games.

In 1987-88 the injury problems continued as a severe shoulder and knee wounds limited Adam to just 36 games. He may have been one of the biggest players in the National Hockey League, but he appeared to be fragile and shied away from the physical play.

In 1988-89 Adam was shifted to left wing because of the emergence of players like Pierre Turgeon and Benoit Hogue at center ice. Adam never adjusted and the Sabres traded Creighton away to Chicago in exchange for veteran sniper Rick Vaive.

In Chicago Adam played under Mike Keenan. Keenan is a dictatorial coach who has broken many players, but Adam thrived under him. In his first full season in Chicago, 1990-91, Adam erupted for his best season. He scored 34 goals and 70 points. His new found success was in large part because he embraced the physical game, picking up 224 penalty minutes. Although his offensive production tailed off in the playoffs, he remained as a physical force as the Blackhawks went to the Stanley Cup finals.

Creighton came back to earth somewhat in 1990-91, as he continued to struggle with the one thing that prevented him from being a very good player in the National Hockey League - consistency. The Hawks moved Adam to the New York Islanders late in the 1991-92 season in a trade for Brent Sutter.

Adam's stay on Long Island was brief. He finished the year with 12 points in 11 games, but was exposed on waivers prior to the 1992-93 season. The Tampa Bay Lightning selected him and employed him with little fanfare through 1994.

Adam returned from anonymity when he was reunited with Mike Keenan in St. Louis staring in 1995, but he became a low scoring role player at that point of his career.

Adam would end his NHL career with a return to Chicago for the 1996-97 season but appear in only 19 games. He would later round out his career playing in Germany.
Adam Creighton scored 187 goals and 403 points in 708 National Hockey League games.