Abel, Taffy (Clarence J.)
Hockey
b. May 28, 1900, Sault Ste. Marie, MI
d. Aug. 1, 1964
Abel was the first American to carry the flag in the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics and the first American Olympic hockey player to be on a Stanley Cup champion.
A defenseman, he spent most of his amateur career with the St. Paul, MN, Athletic Club, and he was on the U. S. team that won the silver medal in 1924. Two years later, he joined the New York Rangers as one of the first U.S.-born players in the National Hockey League, and he was with the Rangers when they won their first Stanley Cup in 1928.
After one more season with the Rangers, Abel went to the Chicago Black Hawks and spent five seasons there before retiring. In his eight NHL seasons, he had 18 goals and 18 assists in regular-season play, with 1 goal and 1 assist in the playoffs.