game in 1984 to focus on his hockey career. Describing his younger self as a "punk", Oates said he partied frequently. He dropped out of high school to focus on hockey and ended up working as a gas station attendant at age 19. Oates played two full seasons and parts of a third with the Junior A Markham Waxers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJAHL). He scored 89 points in 43 games during 1980–81, and 159 points – including 105 assists – in 1981–82. He went unselected in the NHL Entry Draft, however, as scouts considered him too slow to play in the NHL. He returned to high school to complete his diploma when he was recruited to play for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Playing career College RPI's assistant coach Paul Allen noticed Oates during a 1982 OPJAHL game while scouting a different player and offered him a position on the school's team. Consequently, Oates played three seasons with the RPI Engineers, leading the team in assists each year. After scoring 42 points in 22 games in his freshman season of 1982–83, he spent the summer working with a skating instructor to improve his foot speed. In 1983–84, he set school records in points with 83 and assists with 57. He was named to the East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) second all-star team and became the first RPI hockey player to earn a berth on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American team since 1965. In 1984–85, Oates broke his own school records by recording 60 assists and 91 points. His career total of 150 assists remains a school record . Again named an NCAA All-American, he was voted to the ECAC first all-star team, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award as the top hockey player in the NCAA. After helping RPI win the 1985 national championship, he was included in the all-tournament team. In his three years with RPI, the Engineers recorded an record and won the ECAC championships in 1984 and 1985. Oates was voted to the ECAC's all-decade team of the 1980s. He was inducted into RPI's Athletics Hall of Fame, and was named the inaugural member of the hockey team's Ring of Honor in 2004. Detroit and St. Louis NHL teams took interest in Oates following his junior season; at least five teams attempted to sign him. Choosing to forgo