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]
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]
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.
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.
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