The Production Line centre — three Stanley Cups and the bridge between Gordie Howe's two great wing partners.
Sidney Gerald Abel was born in Melville, Saskatchewan in 1918. He spent most of his career with the Detroit Red Wings — forming the Production Line with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay, one of the most offensively dominant forward lines of the post-war era. He won three Stanley Cup championships with Detroit (1943, 1950, 1952 — serving in WWII between the first and second). He won the Hart Trophy as MVP in 1949. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969. He later became the Red Wings' head coach and general manager — helping build the teams that would eventually develop into the next Red Wings dynasty. His Production Line with Howe and Lindsay was the prototype for the power forward trio — a skilled centre flanked by two wing players who could score and intimidate in equal measure.
Stanley Cup 3x (1943,1950,1952)
Career Honours
- Stanley Cup 3x (1943,1950,1952)
- Hart Trophy (1949)
- Hall of Fame (1969)