Sid Abel

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 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.

Playing career

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.

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. 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.

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. 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. He was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player, and was named to the First All-Star team.

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. 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.

Abel was sold to the Chicago Black Hawks in 1952, 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. 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.

Coaching

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, 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

Sid Abel was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. In 1998, he was ranked 85 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.

Abel's No. 12 banner hanging in Joe Louis Arena.

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

• 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.

Career statistics

				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

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

• List of ice hockey line nicknames
• List of members of the Hockey Hall of Fame
• Notable families in the NHL
• Production line (hockey)
• Captain (ice hockey)

References

• 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

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or Legends of Hockey, or The Internet Hockey Database