Neil Abel

Neil Abel
Position	Defender
Shoots	Right
Height Weight	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 174 lb (79 kg)
EPIHL Team F. Teams	Sheffield Scimitars Milton Keynes Kings
Nationality	British
Born	(1960-12-22)December 22, 1960, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland
Pro Career	1980 – present

Neil Abel (born December 22, 1960(1960-12-22) in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland) 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).

Playing career

Abel began his senior ice hockey career when he was twenty years old with the Fife Flyers 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.

Awards and honours

• He was an awarded a testimonial game on 1 February 2007 by the Scimitars.
• Won the Coach of the Year Trophy for 2006–07.

Career statistics

Club

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1980–81	Fife Flyers	Northern/SNL		30	4	8	12	50
1981–82	Nottingham Panthers	Eng South		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		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	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	BHL		1	0	1	1	2
1994–95	Basingstoke Beavers	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	ENIHL		28	9	17	26	36
1997–98	Lancashire Hawks	ENIHL		28	3	14	17	18
1997–98	Basingstoke Bison	ISL		6	0	0	0	0		1	0	0	0	0
1998–99	Milton Keynes Kings	EPIHL		6	3	4	7	0
1998–99	Edinburgh Capitals	BNL		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	BNL		36	5	12	17	40
2002–03	Newcastle Vipers	BNL		2	0	0	0	0
2002–03	Edinburgh Capitals	BNL		1	0	1	1	0
2002–03	Sheffield Scimitars	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		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

References

• European Hockey.Net
• Ice Hockey Journalists UK
• The Internet Hockey Database

External links

• Neil Abel - player profile and career stats at European Hockey.Net
• Neil Abel's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database