Sidney Gerald Abel (February 22, 1918 – February 8, 2000) was a Canadian Hall of Fame hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Detroit Red Wings, and was a member of Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1943, 1950, and 1952. In 2017 Abel was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.[1]
| Sid Abel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1969 | |||
 | |||
| Born | February 22, 1918 Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Died | February 8, 2000 (aged 81) Farmington Hills, Michigan, U.S. | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | NHL Detroit Red Wings Chicago Black Hawks AHL Pittsburgh Hornets Indianapolis Capitals | ||
| Playing career | 1938–1954 | ||
Playing career edit
Born in Melville, Saskatchewan, Abel, or "Old Bootnose" as he was known, played junior hockey with the Flin Flon Bombers and joined the Red Wings in 1938. He split the next two seasons between the Red Wings and their affiliates in the International-American Hockey League before becoming a full-time player in 1940. He was named captain of the Red Wings in 1942.
In 1943, Abel left the Red Wings to serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. During this time he skated with the RCAF team in Montreal. Abel was demobilized late in the 1946 season; he rejoined the Red Wings just in time for the playoffs and regained the team captaincy.[2]
In 1947, Red Wings' coach Jack Adams placed Abel and Ted Lindsay on a forward line with rookie right winger Gordie Howe. Although Abel was slowed down by an attack of pleurisy late that season, the line led the team to a playoff berth.[3] The following season, Lindsay, Abel and Howe finished first, third and fourth respectively in team scoring, and led the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Finals.[3]
By the 1949 season, the newly dubbed "Production Line" led the Wings to the first of seven consecutive first-place finishes, an NHL record still standing today, although Howe and Lindsay were hampered by serious injuries that cost them much playing time. Abel was tied with Lindsay for third in NHL scoring and led the league in goals, and he recorded career highs in goals and assists.[4] He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named to the First All-Star team.[5]
The next three seasons saw Abel lead the Production Line over all other forward lines in points, and in 1949-50 Lindsay, Abel and Howe finished in the top three in league scoring, equalling the feat of the famed "Kraut Line" of the Boston Bruins in 1939-40.[5] In 1950 Abel was again named to the First All-Star team and won his second Stanley Cup, and in 1950 he was named Second Team All-Star.[5]
Abel was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1952,[6] and was named coach of his new team. He served as player-coach for the next two seasons, the last full-time player-head coach in NHL history.
Though his No. 12 was honoured by the Wings, Abel also wore 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19 and 20 throughout his career.[7] He wore most of these numbers during his first two seasons, when he split time between the Red Wings and the minors, before settling on number 12. He wore 9 after his return from the RCAF at the end of the 1945–46 season, as Joe Carveth had taken 12 during Abel's military service, and Abel regained 12 in 1946 when Carveth was traded to the Boston Bruins.[8]
Coaching edit
Abel was the head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks for two seasons from 1952 to 1954. He returned to the Red Wings in 1957–58 and served as Detroit's head coach through the 1969–70 season. Abel also served as the Red Wings' general manager from April 1962 to January 1971.
In 1974 Abel was named general manager of the expansion Kansas City Scouts and served through the 1975–76 season,[9] after which the franchise relocated to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies. Abel served as coach of the Scouts for three games in 1975-76 following the resignation of Bep Guidolin.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Abel worked as a colour commentator on Red Wings radio and television broadcasts beside play-by-play announcer Bruce Martyn.
Legacy edit
Sid Abel was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1998, he was ranked number 85 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Abel's older brother George played for Canada's hockey team at the 1952 Olympics in Oslo, Norway. George scored the winning goal in the final game, securing the only gold medal for Canada that year. Sid's son Gerry played briefly in the NHL, and his grandson Brent Johnson is a goaltender who played several years in the NHL. Sid's son-in-law Bob Johnson was also a goaltender in the NHL.
Abel died on February 8, 2000, fourteen days before his 82nd birthday.
Awards and achievements edit
- 2-time NHL first team All-Star (1949, 1950)
- 2-time NHL second team All-Star (1942, 1951)
- 3-time Stanley Cup champion (1943, 1950, 1952)
- Hart Memorial Trophy (1949)
- Detroit Red Wings #12 retired on April 29, 1995
- Named part of the first group of players on the list of '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history, in January 2017.[1]
Career statistics edit
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1936–37 | Melville Millionaires | S-SJHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | Saskatoon Wesleys | N-SJHL | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 1936–37 | Saskatoon Wesleys | M-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 1937–38 | Flin Flon Bombers | N-SSHL | 23 | 12 | 16 | 28 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 17 | ||
| 1937–38 | Flin Flon Bombers | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 1938–39 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1938–39 | Pittsburgh Hornets | IAHL | 41 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1939–40 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 24 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 21 | ||
| 1939–40 | Indianapolis Capitals | IAHL | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1940–41 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 47 | 11 | 22 | 33 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 1941–42 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 48 | 18 | 31 | 49 | 45 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 1942–43 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 49 | 18 | 24 | 42 | 33 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 | ||
| 1943–44 | Montreal RCAF | QSHL | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1943–44 | Montreal Canada Car | MCHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Montreal RCAF | MCHL | 4 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Lachine Rapides | QPHL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Kingston RCAF | Exhib. | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945–46 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1946–47 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 60 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 29 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1947–48 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 60 | 14 | 30 | 44 | 69 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | ||
| 1948–49 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 60 | 28 | 26 | 54 | 49 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1949–50 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 34 | 35 | 69 | 46 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 1950–51 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 69 | 23 | 38 | 61 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1951–52 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 62 | 17 | 36 | 53 | 32 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 1952–53 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 39 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1953–54 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 612 | 189 | 283 | 472 | 376 | 97 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 79 | ||||
Coaching record edit
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| CHI | 1952–53 | 70 | 27 | 28 | 15 | 69 | 4th in NHL | Lost in semi-finals (3-4 vs. MTL) |
| CHI | 1953–54 | 70 | 12 | 51 | 7 | 31 | 6th in NHL | Did not qualify |
| DET | 1957–58 | 33 | 16 | 12 | 5 | 37 | 3rd in NHL | Lost in semi-finals (0-4 vs. MTL) |
| DET | 1958–59 | 70 | 25 | 37 | 8 | 58 | 6th in NHL | Did not qualify |
| DET | 1959–60 | 70 | 26 | 29 | 15 | 67 | 4th in NHL | Lost in semi-finals (2-4 vs. TOR) |
| DET | 1960–61 | 70 | 25 | 29 | 16 | 66 | 4th in NHL | Won in semi-finals (4-1 vs. TOR) Lost in Stanley Cup finals (2-4 vs. CHI) |
| DET | 1961–62 | 70 | 23 | 33 | 14 | 60 | 5th in NHL | Did not qualify |
| DET | 1962–63 | 70 | 32 | 25 | 13 | 77 | 4th in NHL | Won in semi-finals (4-2 vs. CHI) Lost in Stanley Cup finals (1-4 vs. TOR) |
| DET | 1963–64 | 70 | 30 | 29 | 11 | 71 | 4th in NHL | Won in semi-finals (4-3 vs. CHI) Lost in Stanley Cup finals (3-4 vs. TOR) |
| DET | 1964–65 | 70 | 40 | 23 | 7 | 87 | 1st in NHL | Lost in semi-finals (3-4 vs. CHI) |
| DET | 1965–66 | 70 | 31 | 27 | 12 | 74 | 4th in NHL | Won in semi-finals (4-2 vs. CHI) Lost in Stanley Cup finals (2-4 vs. MTL) |
| DET | 1966–67 | 70 | 27 | 39 | 4 | 58 | 5th in NHL | Did not qualify |
| DET | 1967–68 | 74 | 27 | 35 | 12 | 66 | 5th in East | Did not qualify |
| DET | 1969–70 | 74 | 38 | 21 | 15 | 91 | 3rd in East | Lost in quarter-finals (0-4 vs. CHI) |
| STL | 1971–72 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 3rd in West | Fired |
| KC | 1975–76 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5th in Smythe | Interim coach |
| Total | 964 | 382 | 427 | 155 | 919 | 32-44 (.421) | ||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b "100 Greatest NHL Players". National Hockey League. January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
- ^ McFarlane, Brian. 50 Years of Hockey. Winnipeg: Greywood Publishing Ltd. p. 79.
- ^ a b Coleman, Charles L. (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol.III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 661.
- ^ "NHL 1948–49 League Leaders". The Hockey Database. Ralph Slate. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ a b c Coleman, Charles L. (1976). Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol.III. Sherbrooke, PQ: Progressive Publications. p. 662.
- ^ "Sid Abel Career Statistics". Legends of Hockey. Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
- ^ "Detroit Red Wings – History, 1935–36". Archived from the original on March 18, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
Red Wings Facts, Wings who wore four different jersey numbers, Sid Abel – 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 20
- ^ "Detroit Red Wings 2017–18 Media Guide" (PDF). Retrieved April 4, 2018.
Detroit Red Wings All-Time Numbers, pages 272–283 inclusive
- ^ "Sid Abel Stats and Profile". hockeydb.com.
- Carroll, M. R. (2001). The Concise Encyclopedia of Hockey. Vancouver: Greystone Press.
- Diamond, Dan and Eric Zweig, eds (2003). Hockey's Glory Days: the 50s and 60s. Kansas City: Andrew McMeel.
- Fischler, Stan (2002). Detroit Red Wings: Greatest Moments and Players. Sports Publishing Co.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players:the ultimate A-Z guide of everyone who has ever played in the NHL. Doubleday Canada. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
External links edit
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database