Sports
Sid Abel
1918–2000 · ice hockey player, coach and general manager
Hall of Fame center who captained the Red Wings' famed "Production Line" with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay to three Stanley Cups, then coached and managed the team for another decade.
- Born
Melville, Saskatchewan, Canada- Died
Farmington Hills, Michigan
aged 81- Birth name
- Sidney Gerald Abel
- Also known as
- Old Bootnose
- Detroit years
- 1938–1952, 1957–1968, 1970s–1980s
- Field
- Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Abel joined the Red Wings organization in 1938 and became a full-time NHL player by 1940, earning the team captaincy in 1942 before leaving to serve with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Back in Detroit for the playoffs in 1946, he soon anchored one of hockey's most celebrated forward lines, the "Production Line," alongside Ted Lindsay and a young Gordie Howe, helping Detroit to Stanley Cup championships in 1943, 1950 and 1952. After his playing career he returned to Detroit as head coach from 1957 to 1968, adding general manager duties in 1962 and guiding the team to seven playoff appearances. He later spent years as a color commentator on Red Wings broadcasts alongside Bruce Martyn. The Red Wings retired his No. 12 in 1995, and in 2017 he was named one of the "100 Greatest NHL Players" in history. Abel died in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills in 2000.
Highlights
- Captained the "Production Line" with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay
- Three-time Stanley Cup champion with Detroit (1943, 1950, 1952)
- 1949 Hart Trophy winner as the NHL's most valuable player
- Head coach and later general manager of the Red Wings, 1957–1968
- No. 12 retired by Detroit in 1995
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Played here · 1938–1968
Olympia Stadium
Demolished · 1927–1980
The Red Wings' home rink through his entire playing career and much of his coaching tenure; demolished in 1987.