Neil Abel
Encyclopedia
Neil Abel is a British
professional ice hockey
player who has played in the United Kingdom
since 1980. He currently plays for and is head coach
for the Sheffield Scimitars
in the English Premier Ice Hockey League
(EPIHL).
in 1980 in the Northern League
and the Scottish National League
(SNL). Apart from a handful of games he played for the Nottingham Panthers
during the 1981–82 season, Abel remained with the Flyers for twelve seasons as they moved into the British Hockey League
(BHL) in 1983. During this time he helped the Flyers to the finals of the Autumn Cup in 1984 and 1986 and to win the playoffs
in 1985.
Abel joined the Sheffield Steelers
for the 1992–93 season when they were at in Division 1 of the BHL. During his four seasons with the Steelers, which was broken only by him playing one game each for the Solihull Barons
and the Basingstoke Beavers
during the 1994–97promotion to the Premier Division of the BHL at the end of the 1992–93 season. He also helped the team to the final of the playoffs in 1993–94 and to win the league championship
and playoffs in 1994–95. In his final season with the Steelers, 1995–96, he helped them to win a grand slam of all available trophies: the Benson & Hedges Cup, the league championship and the playoffs.
Between the 1996–97 and 2002–03 seasons, at various times Abel played for the Solihull Blaze
, Blackburn Hawks
, Lancashire Hawks
, Basingstoke Bison
, Milton Keynes Kings
, Edinburgh Capitals
, Hull Thunder
and Newcastle Vipers
in various leagues such as the English National Ice Hockey League
(ENIHL), EPIHL, the British National League
(BNL) and the Ice Hockey Superleague
(ISL).
Abel eventually settled with the Sheffield Scimitars
when he joined them in the 2002–03 season when they were playing in the ENIHL. Apart from a guest appearance for the Sheffield Steelers in the Elite Ice Hockey League
(EIHL) during the 2004–05 season and two games for the Steelers playing in the 2005–06 Challenge Cup
, Abel has remained with the Scimitars since. He has helped them to win the Northern Division of the ENIHL in 2002–03 and 2004–05, the playoffs in 2003–04 and 2004–05 as well as the English National Cup in 2003–04 and 2004–05. After the Scimitars had joined the EPIHL in 2005–06, Abel became the team's player-coach
in the 2006–07. The Scimitars awarded Abel with a tesimonial game
on 1 February 2007 for his long service to the British game. He also finished of the season by being named the Ice Hockey Journalists UK
's Coach of the Year
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
player who has played in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
since 1980. He currently plays for and is head coach
Coach (ice hockey)
Coach in ice hockey is the person responsible for directing the team during games and practices, prepares strategy and decides which players will participate in games....
for the Sheffield Scimitars
Sheffield Scimitars
Sheffield Scimitars formed in 2002 and initially played at the small 500 capacity Sheffield Ice Sports Centre playing in the ENIHL. Since then the team moved to the iceSheffield complex, where they became successful in the ENIHL and made the stepup to the EPL in 2005–06...
in the English Premier Ice Hockey League
English Premier Ice Hockey League
The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association...
(EPIHL).
Playing career
Abel began his senior ice hockey career when he was twenty years old with the Fife FlyersFife Flyers
The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years...
in 1980 in the Northern League
Northern League (ice hockey, 1967)
The Northern League was the top-flight ice hockey league in Scotland and initially northern England, from 1966. In 1982 it merged with the Inter-City League and the English League North to form the British Hockey League....
and the Scottish National League
Scottish National League
The Scottish National League is the ice hockey league in Scotland.Seen as the third-tier of ice hockey, below the British Elite Ice Hockey League and the English Premier Ice Hockey League . However, its standard of play has been considered closer to the English National Ice Hockey Division One,...
(SNL). Apart from a handful of games he played for the Nottingham Panthers
Nottingham Panthers
The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
during the 1981–82 season, Abel remained with the Flyers for twelve seasons as they moved into the British Hockey League
British Hockey League
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League...
(BHL) in 1983. During this time he helped the Flyers to the finals of the Autumn Cup in 1984 and 1986 and to win the playoffs
British Championship
The British Championship is the most prestigious ice hockey cup competition in the United Kingdom, and also the longest established ice hockey competition. It has been run under various formats and titles since 1930 and contested annually since 1966...
in 1985.
Abel joined the Sheffield Steelers
Sheffield Steelers
The Sheffield Steelers are a British ice hockey club, from Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Sheffield Arena. They are currently members of the Elite Ice Hockey League...
for the 1992–93 season when they were at in Division 1 of the BHL. During his four seasons with the Steelers, which was broken only by him playing one game each for the Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons
Solihull Barons are an English ice hockey team from the town of Solihull who play at Solihull Ice Rink on Hobbs Moat Road. They were formed in 2005, although they are named after the team of the same name who played at the same ice rink between 1972 and 1996...
and the Basingstoke Beavers
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...
during the 1994–97promotion to the Premier Division of the BHL at the end of the 1992–93 season. He also helped the team to the final of the playoffs in 1993–94 and to win the league championship
British ice hockey league champions
The British ice hockey league champions are the winners of the highest ice hockey league in the United Kingdom, currently the Elite Ice Hockey League...
and playoffs in 1994–95. In his final season with the Steelers, 1995–96, he helped them to win a grand slam of all available trophies: the Benson & Hedges Cup, the league championship and the playoffs.
Between the 1996–97 and 2002–03 seasons, at various times Abel played for the Solihull Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
, Blackburn Hawks
Blackburn Hawks
The Blackburn Hawks , are a British ice hockey team based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are currently members of the ENIHL, and have previously played in the British National League and the English League Premier Division...
, Lancashire Hawks
Blackburn Hawks
The Blackburn Hawks , are a British ice hockey team based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are currently members of the ENIHL, and have previously played in the British National League and the English League Premier Division...
, Basingstoke Bison
Basingstoke Bison
The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :...
, Milton Keynes Kings
Milton Keynes Kings
Milton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes from 1990 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2002. Following a dispute with the Planet Ice Arena in Milton Keynes, the team relocated to Solihull, where they became Solihull MK Kings for a while...
, Edinburgh Capitals
Edinburgh Capitals
The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh...
, Hull Thunder
Hull Thunder
The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena ....
and Newcastle Vipers
Newcastle Vipers
The Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the club previously held membership in the British National League.- History :...
in various leagues such as the English National Ice Hockey League
English National Ice Hockey League
The English National Ice Hockey League is an amateur ice hockey league below the English Premier Ice Hockey League which is administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is split into two conferences, north and south...
(ENIHL), EPIHL, the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...
(BNL) and the Ice Hockey Superleague
Ice Hockey Superleague
The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
(ISL).
Abel eventually settled with the Sheffield Scimitars
Sheffield Scimitars
Sheffield Scimitars formed in 2002 and initially played at the small 500 capacity Sheffield Ice Sports Centre playing in the ENIHL. Since then the team moved to the iceSheffield complex, where they became successful in the ENIHL and made the stepup to the EPL in 2005–06...
when he joined them in the 2002–03 season when they were playing in the ENIHL. Apart from a guest appearance for the Sheffield Steelers in the Elite Ice Hockey League
Elite Ice Hockey League
Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other...
(EIHL) during the 2004–05 season and two games for the Steelers playing in the 2005–06 Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup (UK Ice Hockey)
The Challenge Cup, hosted annually by the Elite Ice Hockey League, is a cup competition for ice hockey clubs in the United Kingdom. It is one of three competitions ran each season by the Elite League, the others being the league championship and the playoff championship...
, Abel has remained with the Scimitars since. He has helped them to win the Northern Division of the ENIHL in 2002–03 and 2004–05, the playoffs in 2003–04 and 2004–05 as well as the English National Cup in 2003–04 and 2004–05. After the Scimitars had joined the EPIHL in 2005–06, Abel became the team's player-coach
Player-coach
A player-coach, in sports, is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. The term can be used to refer to both players who serve as head coaches, or as assistant coaches....
in the 2006–07. The Scimitars awarded Abel with a tesimonial game
Testimonial match
A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
on 1 February 2007 for his long service to the British game. He also finished of the season by being named the Ice Hockey Journalists UK
Ice Hockey Journalists UK
Ice Hockey Journalists UK, abbreviated to IHJUK, is an organisation which was set up in 1984 to promote the interests of ice hockey and its writers, photographers and broadcasters...
's Coach of the Year
Coach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)
The Coach of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK to the best coach in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to coaches in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League...
.
Awards and honours
- He was an awarded a testimonial gameTestimonial matchA testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, notably football and especially in the United Kingdom, where a club puts on a match in honour of a player for service to the club....
on 1 February 2007 by the Scimitars. - Won the Coach of the Year TrophyCoach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)The Coach of the Year Trophy is an award given by Ice Hockey Journalists UK to the best coach in the Elite League and the English Premier League at the end of each season. In previous seasons it has been awarded to coaches in the British Hockey League's Premier and First Divisions, the Super League...
for 2006–07.
Club
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1980–81 | Fife Flyers Fife Flyers The Fife Flyers, established in 1938, are the oldest ice hockey team in Scotland, and also in the United Kingdom, beating the Nottingham Panthers by 8 years... |
Northern Northern League (ice hockey, 1967) The Northern League was the top-flight ice hockey league in Scotland and initially northern England, from 1966. In 1982 it merged with the Inter-City League and the English League North to form the British Hockey League.... /SNL Scottish National League The Scottish National League is the ice hockey league in Scotland.Seen as the third-tier of ice hockey, below the British Elite Ice Hockey League and the English Premier Ice Hockey League . However, its standard of play has been considered closer to the English National Ice Hockey Division One,... |
30 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 50 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | Nottingham Panthers Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League... |
Eng South Inter-City League The Inter-City League, also known as the English League South, was the top-flight ice hockey league in southern England from 1978, when it alongside the English League North it replaced the Southern League... |
5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | Fife Flyers | Northern | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 18 | |||||||
| 1981–82 | Fife Flyers | SNL | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 10 | |||||||
| 1983–84 | Fife Flyers | BHL British Hockey League The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League... |
32 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 78 | |||||||
| 1984–85 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 36 | 12 | 24 | 36 | 106 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 1985–86 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 31 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 80 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 1986–87 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 36 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 48 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | ||
| 1987–88 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 33 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 38 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1988–89 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 36 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 48 | |||||||
| 1989–90 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 31 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 30 | |||||||
| 1990–91 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 34 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 46 | |||||||
| 1991–92 | Fife Flyers | BHL | 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 14 | |||||||
| 1992–93 | Sheffield Steelers Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a British ice hockey club, from Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Sheffield Arena. They are currently members of the Elite Ice Hockey League... |
BHL | 30 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 64 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1993–94 | Sheffield Steelers | BHL | 37 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 50 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 1994–95 | Sheffield Steelers | BHL | 44 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 37 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Solihull Blaze Coventry Blaze Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:... |
BHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 1994–95 | Basingstoke Beavers Basingstoke Bison The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :... |
BHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 1995–96 | Sheffield Steelers | BHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 70 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | Sheffield Steelers | BHL | 36 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 70 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1995–96 | Basingstoke Beavers | BHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 1996–97 | Blackburn Hawks Blackburn Hawks The Blackburn Hawks , are a British ice hockey team based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are currently members of the ENIHL, and have previously played in the British National League and the English League Premier Division... |
ENIHL English National Ice Hockey League The English National Ice Hockey League is an amateur ice hockey league below the English Premier Ice Hockey League which is administered by the English Ice Hockey Association. It is split into two conferences, north and south... |
28 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 36 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Lancashire Hawks Blackburn Hawks The Blackburn Hawks , are a British ice hockey team based in Blackburn, Lancashire. They are currently members of the ENIHL, and have previously played in the British National League and the English League Premier Division... |
ENIHL | 28 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 18 | |||||||
| 1997–98 | Basingstoke Bison Basingstoke Bison The Basingstoke Bison are an English Ice Hockey club from Basingstoke. They currently compete in the English Premier Ice Hockey League and have previously been members of the Ice Hockey Superleague and its successor the Elite Ice Hockey League- History :... |
ISL Ice Hockey Superleague The Ice Hockey Superleague was a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 2003. Formed in 1995, it replaced the Premier Division of the British Hockey League, it was the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom... |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | Milton Keynes Kings Milton Keynes Kings Milton Keynes Kings were an Ice Hockey team based in Milton Keynes from 1990 to 1996 and from 1998 to 2002. Following a dispute with the Planet Ice Arena in Milton Keynes, the team relocated to Solihull, where they became Solihull MK Kings for a while... |
EPIHL English Premier Ice Hockey League The English Premier Ice Hockey League commonly abbreviated to EPIHL, or simply EPL, is a senior ice hockey league in England, and is run and administered by the English Ice Hockey Association... |
6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |||||||
| 1998–99 | Edinburgh Capitals Edinburgh Capitals The Edinburgh Capitals are a Scottish ice hockey club, playing in the UK-wide Elite Ice Hockey League.They are based in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh... |
BNL British National League The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the... |
16 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Basingstoke Bison | BNL | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1999–00 | Edinburgh Capitals | BNL | 29 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Hull Thunder Hull Thunder The Hull Thunder were a British ice hockey club from Kingston upon Hull, England. Formed in 1999, they competed in the now defunct British National League playing their home games at Humberside Ice Arena .... |
BNL | 36 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 40 | |||||||
| 2002–03 | Newcastle Vipers Newcastle Vipers The Newcastle Vipers were an ice hockey club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Former members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, the club previously held membership in the British National League.- History :... |
BNL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 2002–03 | Edinburgh Capitals | BNL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||
| 2002–03 | Sheffield Scimitars Sheffield Scimitars Sheffield Scimitars formed in 2002 and initially played at the small 500 capacity Sheffield Ice Sports Centre playing in the ENIHL. Since then the team moved to the iceSheffield complex, where they became successful in the ENIHL and made the stepup to the EPL in 2005–06... |
ENIHL | 27 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 8 | |||||||
| 2003–04 | Sheffield Scimitars | ENIHL | ||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | Sheffield Scimitars | ENIHL | 16 | 4 | 23 | 27 | 22 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | Sheffield Steelers | EIHL Elite Ice Hockey League Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 2005–06 | Sheffield Scimitars | EPIHL | 39 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 51 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Sheffield Scimitars | EPIHL | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |||||||