| Sid Abel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1969 | |||
 | |||
| Born | (1918-02-22)February 22, 1918 Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Died | February 8, 2000(2000-02-08) (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 | ||
Sidney Gerald Abel (February 22, 1918 – February 8, 2000) was a CanadianHall of Famehockey player, coach and general manager in theNational Hockey League, most notably for theDetroit Red Wings, and was a member ofStanley Cup-winning teams in1943,1950, and1952. In 2017, Abel was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history.[1]
Born inMelville, Saskatchewan, Abel, or "Old Bootnose" as he was known, played junior hockey with theFlin Flon Bombers and joined the Red Wings in1938. He split the next two seasons between the Red Wings and their affiliates in theInternational-American Hockey League before becoming a full-time player in1940. He was named captain of the Red Wings in1942.
In 1943, Abel left the Red Wings to serve with theRoyal Canadian Air Force duringWorld War II. During this time, he skated with the RCAF team inMontreal. Abel was demobilized late in the1946 season; he rejoined the Red Wings just in time for the playoffs and regained the team captaincy.[2]
In1947, Red Wings' coachJack Adams placed Abel andTed Lindsay on a forward line with rookie right wingerGordie Howe. Although Abel was slowed down by an attack ofpleurisy 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 theStanley Cup Finals.[3]
By the1949 season, the newly dubbed "Production Line" led the Wings to the first of seven consecutive first-place finishes, an NHL record still standing today. However, Howe and Lindsay were hampered by severe 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 theHart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named to theFirst All-Star team.[5]
The next three seasons saw Abel lead the Production Line over all other forward lines in points, and in1949-50 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 in1952,[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 honored 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, asJoe Carveth had taken 12 during Abel's military service, and Abel regained 12 in 1946 when Carveth was traded to theBoston Bruins.[8]
Abel was the head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks for two seasons from1952 to1954. He returned to the Red Wings in1957–58 and served as Detroit's head coach through the1969–70 season. Abel also served as the Red Wings' general manager from April 1962 to January 1971.
In1974 Abel was named general manager of the expansionKansas City Scouts and served through the1975–76 season,[9] after which the franchise relocated to Denver to become theColorado 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 acolour commentator on Red Wings radio and television broadcasts beside play-by-play announcer Bruce Martyn.
Sid Abel was elected to theHockey Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1998, he was ranked 85 onThe Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
Abel's older brotherGeorge played for Canada's hockey team at the 1952 Olympics inOslo,Norway. George scored the winning goal in the final game, securing the only gold medal for Canada that year. Sid's sonGerry played briefly in the NHL, and his grandsonBrent Johnson is agoaltender who played several years in the NHL. Sid's son-in-lawBob Johnson was also a goaltender in the NHL.
Abel died on February 8, 2000, fourteen days before his 82nd birthday.
| 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 | ||||
| Team | Year | Regular season | Post season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result | ||
| CHI | 1952–53 | 70 | 27 | 28 | 15 | 69 | 4th inNHL | 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 inStanley 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 inStanley 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 inStanley 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 inStanley 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 inEast | 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 inWest | Fired |
| KC | 1975–76 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5th inSmythe | Interim coach |
| Total | 964 | 382 | 427 | 155 | 919 | 32-44 (.421) | ||
Red Wings Facts, Wings who wore four different jersey numbers, Sid Abel – 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 20
Detroit Red Wings All-Time Numbers, pages 272–283 inclusive
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Winner of theHart Trophy 1949 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Detroit Red Wings captain 1942–43 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Detroit Red Wings captain 1945–52 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Chicago Black Hawks 1952–54 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings 1958–68 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head Coach of the Detroit Red Wings 1969–70 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the St. Louis Blues 1971–72 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Head coach of the Kansas City Scouts 1975–76 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | general manager of the Detroit Red Wings 1962–71 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | general manager of the St. Louis Blues 1971–72 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Position created | general manager of the Kansas City Scouts 1974–76 | Succeeded by |