Gerald Scott Abel is a retired American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 left winger

Winger (ice hockey)

Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

. He is the son of Hockey Hall of Fame

Hockey Hall of Fame

The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...

 member Sid Abel

Sid Abel

Sidney Gerald Abel was a Canadian professional hockey player and later coach in the National Hockey League...

.

Playing career

Abel played junior hockey for the Hamilton Red Wings

Hamilton Red Wings

The Hamilton Red Wings were a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association from 1960 to 1974. The team was based in Hamilton, Ontario.-History:...

 signing with the Detroit Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...

. His father Sid was the head coach of the Red Wings at the time and upon signing, Gerry was quoted as saying "If I could be half as good as my dad, I'd be happy". In the end though, Abel played in only one National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

 game for the Red Wings during the 1966–67 NHL season, spending much of the season playing for the Memphis Wings

Memphis Wings

The Memphis Wings were a professional ice hockey team in Memphis, Tennessee. They played from 1964-67 in the Central Professional Hockey League. As their name suggested, they were a farm team of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings....

 as well as two games for the American Hockey League

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

's Pittsburgh Hornets. After another season with Memphis, Abel retired from hockey.

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