Kevyn William Adams (born October 8, 1974) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

and current general manager of the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. During his career, Adams played for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

Phoenix Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...

and the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

, and was also a former associate coach for the Sabres.

Playing career

Adams grew up in

Clarence, New York Clarence is a town located in the northeastern part of Erie County, New York, United States, northeast of Buffalo. The population was 32,950 according to the 2020 census estimate. This represents an increase of 7.4% from the 2010 census figure. ...

and played his youth hockey for the Wheatfield Blades organization at a rink then known as Sabreland, where the

used to practice. Adams played collegiately for

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

and was drafted in the 1st round, 25th overall by the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

in the

1993 NHL Entry Draft The 1993 NHL Entry Draft was the 31st NHL Entry Draft. It took place on June 26, 1993, at the Colisée de Québec in Quebec City, Quebec. First overall pick Alexandre Daigle is widely regarded today as one of the all-time greatest draft busts ...

. Adams has also played for the

, and

. His best season was 2000–01 when he had 29 points. The

acquired Adams,

Bret Hedican Bret Michael Hedican (born August 10, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player, a Stanley Cup champion, and a two-time US Olympian. A product of St. Cloud State University, Hedican played with the 1992 US Olympic Team before he ...

, and Tomas Malec on January 16, 2002 from the Panthers for Sandis Ozolinsh and

Byron Ritchie Byron Ritchie (born April 24, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He was born in Burnaby, British Columbia, and grew up in North Delta, British Columbia. Ritchie saw action in a total of 332 games in the NHL and also pl ...

. During the NHL lockout season in 2004–05, Adams played a short stint for the DEG Metro Stars in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, Germany. With the return of the NHL in 2005–06, he returned to Carolina, where he was an alternate captain on the Hurricanes Stanley Cup winning team that season. On January 8, 2007, he was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for

Dennis Seidenberg Dennis Marvin Seidenberg (born 18 July 1981) is a Germans, German former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, New Y ...

. On August 11, 2007, Adams was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for

Radim Vrbata Radim Vrbata (born 13 June 1981) is a Czech former professional ice hockey right winger. He had a 16-year career in the National Hockey League (NHL). Vrbata was originally drafted in 1999 by the Colorado Avalanche, with whom he has also played, al ...

. On October 7, 2008, Adams was released from the Blackhawks. On January 6, 2009, Adams retired to become a player-agent.

Coaching and management career

On August 3, 2011, Adams was named Assistant Coach of the

. He was fired on May 9, 2013, two days after the Sabres named

Ron Rolston Ronald Rolston (born October 14, 1966) is an American ice hockey coach who is currently Associate Head Coach at Providence College. He was previously the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He has served as head coach ...

as their new head coach. Adams was named the Senior Vice President of Business Administration for the Sabres in 2019. On June 16, 2020, he was named the team's general manager, replacing the recently-fired

Jason Botterill Jason Drandon Botterill (born May 19, 1976) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger and executive who is currently serving as an assistant general manager of the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Botterill was th ...

. On March 25, 2021, Adams filled in as head coach of the Sabres when head coach

Don Granato Don Granato (born August 11, 1967) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career After two years playing with the then named Madison ...

and assistant coach Matt Ellis entered the NHL's COVID protocol. The Sabres lost the game, 4-0, against the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

, extending the Sabres winless streak to sixteen games.

Personal life

Adams was the second player in NHL history, after Bill Nyrop, to be born in the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. Despite being born in the D.C. area, Adams grew up in

, and keeps a second home in

Bemus Point, New York Bemus Point is a village in Chautauqua County, New York, United States. The village is within the town of Ellery and is located along the eastern shore of Chautauqua Lake. The population was 312 at the 2020 census. Geography Bemus Point is loc ...

. He was inducted into the

Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

*
Kevyn Adams Day With the Stanley CupMiami Hockey 2005–06 Media Guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Kevyn 1974 births Living people American expatriate ice hockey players in Canada American men's ice hockey centers Boston Bruins draft picks Buffalo Sabres coaches Carolina Hurricanes players Chicago Blackhawks players Columbus Blue Jackets players DEG Metro Stars players Florida Panthers players Grand Rapids Griffins (IHL) players Ice hockey people from New York (state) Ice hockey people from Washington, D.C. Miami RedHawks men's ice hockey players National Hockey League first-round draft picks People from Clarence, New York Phoenix Coyotes players St. John's Maple Leafs players Stanley Cup champions Toronto Maple Leafs players Ice hockey players from New York (state) Ice hockey players from Washington, D.C.