gold star for USAHOF

8. Sid Abel

8. Sid Abel

Sid Abel began his NHL career way back in 1938 with the Detroit Red Wings, a team that “Old Bootnose” would become synonymous with.

The Right Wing was a mainstay on the team ad of the 1940-41 Season, and a year later, when he was named a Second Team All-Star, was named the Red Wings' Captain. Abel led Detroit a Stanley Cup win in 1943, but he went into the military during World War II like so many other Canadians.  He returned late in the 1945-46 Season and regained his captaincy. 

In 1947, Abel would team up on a line with Ted Lindsay and Gordie Howe, and it quickly became the most dynamic trio in the sport.  Nicknamed the "Production Line," Abel had the horses around him to win the Hart Trophy in 1948-49, where he was also a First Team All-Star and the league-leader in Goals (28) and Power Play Goals (8).

Abel was the elder statesman in Detroit's early success in the 1950s.  Abel was again a First Team All-Star in 1949-50 and was fourth in Hart voting.  The Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1950 and in 1952, but that was his last year in Detroit as his contract was sold to Chicago.  He only played 42 more Games, but injuries and age caught up to him, and he was mostly ineffective.

Abel had 463 Points for the Red Wings, and in 1969, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.   Detroit retired his no. 12 in 1995. 

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Left Wing, Center
  • Acquired: Signed before the 1938-39 Season.
  • Departed: Traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Cash 7/22/52.
  • Games Played: 570
  • Notable Statistics:

    183 Goals
    280 Assists 
    463 Points 
    366 PIM 
    0.81 PPG 
    N/A Plus/Minus* 
    49.2 Point Shares 

    93 Playoff Games
    28 Goals
    30 Assists 
    58 Points 
    79 PIM 
    0.82 PPG 
    N/A Plus/Minus*

    *Plus/Minus was not calculated when Abel played. 

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Stanley Cup Champion (1943, 1950 & 1952)
    Hart Trophy (1949)
    First Team All-Star (1949 & 1950)
    Second Team All-Star (1942 & 1951)
    All-Star Game (1949, 1950 & 1951)
    Most Power Play Goals (1948-49)
    Most Offensive Point Shares (1949-50)

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