Clarence John "Taffy" Abel (May 28, 1900 – August 1, 1964) was an American professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
player who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
with the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
and
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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between 1926 and 1934. Born in 1900 in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...
, United States, as a Native American
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
, he was forced to hide his Native American ancestry until 1939. He was a silver medalist in
ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics
The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, was the second Olympic Championship, also serving as the second World Championships. The competition was held from Monday, January 28, 1924, to Sunday, February 3 ...
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
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
championship teams. On November 16, 1926 with the New York Rangers he became the first United States-born Native American player to become an NHL regular. He is a member of the
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the history of ice hockey in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and ...
.
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.
Abel scored 15 goals for the United States in the tournament.
As a member of the
Minneapolis Millers
The Minneapolis Millers were an American professional minor league baseball team that played in Minneapolis, Minnesota, through 1960. In the 19th century a different Minneapolis Millers were part of the Western League. The team played first in ...
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
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe, MC (; February 1, 1895 – November 18, 1980) was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National ...
to the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
, largely based upon his strong performance at the Winter Olympics in 1924.
With the Rangers, he wore sweater number 4, and, paired with defenseman
Ching Johnson
Ivan Wilfred "Ching" Johnson (December 7, 1897 – June 17, 1979) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and New York Americans in the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1926 and 1938. He was an or ...
, was a key member of the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
winning Rangers team in
1927-28.
After the 1929 season, Abel's rights were sold to the
Chicago Black Hawks
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, where he played five more years, wearing sweater number 2. Abel was a member of the Cup-winning Black Hawks in
1933-34, his last NHL season.
Later life and legacy
Abel returned to Sault Ste. Marie after retirement, coaching ice hockey. He also operated a tourist resort named "Taffy’s Lodge" in
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...
.
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.
The
Taffy Abel Arena
Clarence "Taffy" Abel Arena is a 4,000-seat hockey arena in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on the campus of Lake Superior State University. It is home to the Lake Superior State Lakers men's ice hockey team of the Central Collegiate Hockey Associati ...
, home rink for the
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University (colloquially Lake State, Lake Superior State, Soo Tech, and LSSU) is a public college in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is enrolls approximately 2,000 students. Due to its proximity to the Canadian border, and the ...
hockey program is named in his honor.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
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NPR: Taffy Abel medaled in the 1924 Olympics. Few knew of his Indigenous heritage
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abel, Taffy
1900 births
1964 deaths
20th-century Native Americans
American men's ice hockey defensemen
Chicago Blackhawks players
Central Hockey League (1925–1926) players
Ice hockey players at the 1924 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey players from Michigan
Medalists at the 1924 Winter Olympics
Native American sportspeople
New York Rangers players
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in ice hockey
People from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
St. Paul Athletic Club ice hockey players
Stanley Cup champions
United States Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ojibwe people