Taffy Abel
Clarence John "Taffy" Abel (May 28, 1900 – August 1, 1964) was an American professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1926 and 1934. Born in 1900 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States, as a Native American Ojibwe, he was forced to hide his Native American ancestry until 1939. He was a silver medalist in ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics and the U.S. flagbearer for those games, being the earliest known Native American to be a US Olympic flagbearer. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams. On November 16, 1926, he became the first United States–born Native American player to become an NHL regular with the New York Rangers. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[1][2]
| Taffy Abel | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Born |
May 28, 1900 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Died |
August 1, 1964 (aged 64) Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defense | ||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | ||||||||||||||||
| Played for |
New York Rangers Chicago Black Hawks | ||||||||||||||||
| National team |
 United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1924–1934 | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Playing career
Clarence "Taffy" Abel was a silver medalist on the United States in the 1924 Olympics, serving as flagbearer for the U.S. delegation.[1] Abel scored 15 goals for the United States in the tournament.[3]
As a member of the Minneapolis Millers of the CHL during the 1925–26 season, Abel was named to the CHL's First All-Star team at the defense position.
Abel played in the NHL for eight years. He scored his first NHL goal on December 7, 1926, in the New York Rangers' 1-0 road victory over the Boston Bruins.
He was signed by Conn Smythe to the New York Rangers, largely based upon his strong performance at the Winter Olympics in 1924.[4] With the Rangers, he wore sweater number 4, and, paired with defenseman Ching Johnson, was a key member of the Stanley Cup–winning Rangers team in 1927-28.[1] After the 1929 season, Abel's rights were sold to the Chicago Black Hawks, where he played five more years, wearing sweater number 2.[5] Abel was a member of the Cup-winning Black Hawks in 1933-34, his last NHL season.[1]
Later life and legacy
Abel returned to Sault Ste. Marie after retirement, coaching ice hockey.[6] He also operated a tourist resort named "Taffy’s Lodge" in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.[7]
Abel died in his home in Sault Ste. Marie, on August 1, 1964, aged 64. Nine years later, he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame as a player.[1]
The Taffy Abel Arena, home rink for the Lake Superior State University hockey program is named in his honor.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1918–19 | Michigan Soo Nationals | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Michigan Soo Wildcats | TBSHL | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1920–21 | Michigan Soo Wildcats | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1921–22 | Michigan Soo Wildcats | TBSHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | St. Paul Athletic Club | USAHA | 18 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1923–24 | St. Paul Athletic Club | USAHA | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1924–25 | St. Paul Saints | USAHA | 39 | 8 | 0 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Minneapolis Millers | CHL | 35 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 78 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1927–28 | New York Rangers | NHL | 23 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | ||
| 1928–29 | New York Rangers | NHL | 44 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 41 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1929–30 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 38 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1930–31 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 43 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 45 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 1931–32 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 48 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1932–33 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 47 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1933–34 | Chicago Black Hawks | NHL | 46 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| NHL totals | 333 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 359 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 56 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | United States | OLY | 5 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 8 | |
| Senior totals | 5 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 8 | |||
References
- Adams, Jim (February 3, 2022). "A Forgotten Olympic First: Taffy Abel, U.S. hockey's initial American Indian player, won a silver medal at the inaugural Winter Games almost a century ago". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- "The first Native American in the Winter Olympics hid his identity to stay safe". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- "Clarence "Taffy" Abel". NHL.com. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- "Clarence "Taffy" Abel". New York Rangers. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- The National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book/2009. Triumph Books. 2007. p. 604. ISBN 978-1-60078-148-3.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2003). Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide of Everyone Who Has Ever Played in the NHL. Doubleday Canada. p. 3. ISBN 0-385-25999-9.
- "Clarence Abel". Olympedia. OLYMadMen. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- NPR: Taffy Abel medaled in the 1924 Olympics. Few knew of his Indigenous heritage.
- Taffy Abel at Find a Grave