Neil Abel

{{otherpeople4|the British ice hockey player|the Norwegian mathematician|Niels Henrik Abel}}
{{Infobox Ice Hockey Player
| image =
| image_size =
| position = [[Defenceman (ice hockey)|Defender]]
| team = [[Sheffield Scimitars]]
| league = [[English Premier Ice Hockey League|EPIHL]]
| former_teams = [[Milton Keynes Kings]]
| played_for = 
| shoots = Right
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 174
| nickname =
| nationality = United Kingdom
| nationality_2 =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|12|22}}
| birth_place = [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], [[Scotland]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| draft =
| draft_year =
| draft_team =
| career_start = 1980
| career_end =
| halloffame =
}}
'''Neil Abel''' (born {{birth date|1960|12|22}} in [[Kirkcaldy]], [[Fife]], [[Scotland]]) is a [[United Kingdom|British]] professional [[ice hockey]] player who has played in the [[United Kingdom]] since 1980. He currently plays for and is [[Coach (ice hockey)|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 (ice hockey, 1967)|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 [[British Championship|playoffs]] in 1985.

Abel joined the [[Sheffield Steelers]] for the 1992–93 season when they were playing 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 Bison|Basingstoke Beavers]] during the 1994–95 season, Abel helped the Steelers to gain promotion 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 [[British ice hockey league champions|league championship]] and playoffs in 1994–95. In his final season with the Steelers, 1995–96, he helped them to win a [[Grand Slam|grand slam]] of all available trophies: the [[Autumn Cup|Benson & Hedges Cup]], the league championship and the playoffs.

Between the 1996–97 and 2002–03 seasons, at various times Abel played for the [[Coventry Blaze|Solihull Blaze]], [[Blackburn Hawks]], [[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 (UK Ice Hockey)|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 [[Testimonial match|tesimonial game]] on [[1 February]] [[2007]] for his long service to the British game.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = Sheffield Scimitars | url = http://www.sheffieldscimitars.co.uk/news/2007/01/neil-abels-testimonial | title = Neil Abel's Testimonial | accessdate = 2007-12-03 }}</ref> He also finished of the season by being named the [[Ice Hockey Journalists UK]]'s [[Coach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)|Coach of the Year]].<ref>{{cite web | publisher = Ice Hockey Journalists UK | url = http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/coach_of_the_year_trophy.htm | title = Couch of the Year Trophy | accessdate = 2007-12-03 }}</ref>

==Awards and honours==
*He was an awarded a [[Testimonial match|testimonial game]] on [[1 February]] [[2007]] by the Scimitars.
*Won the [[Coach of the Year Trophy (IHJUK)|Coach of the Year Trophy]] for 2006–07.

==Career statistics==
===Club===
{| class="wikitable"| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" |  
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |  
! colspan="5" | Regular season<ref name=eurohockey/><ref name=hockeydb>{{cite web| author = | title = Neil Abel's profile at hockeydb.com | url = http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid%5B%5D=14010 | year = | accessdate = 2007-12-04 | publisher = The Internet Hockey Database }}</ref>
! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" |  
! colspan="5" | Playoffs<ref name=eurohockey>{{cite web| author = | title = Neil Abel - player profile and career stats | url = http://www.eurohockey.net/players/show_player.cgi?serial=12741 | year = | accessdate = 2007-12-04 | publisher = European Hockey.Net }}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! Season !! Team !! League !! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM !! GP !! G !! A !! Pts !! PIM
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1980–81 || [[Fife Flyers]] || [[Northern League (ice hockey, 1967)|Northern]]/[[Scottish National League|SNL]] || 30 || 4 || 8 || 12 || 50 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1981–82 || [[Nottingham Panthers]] || [[Inter-City League|Eng South]] || 5 || 2 || 0 || 2 || 10 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1981–82 || Fife Flyers || Northern || 14 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 18 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1981–82 || Fife Flyers || SNL || 7 || 5 || 3 || 8 || 10 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1983–84 || Fife Flyers || [[British Hockey League|BHL]] || 32 || 12 || 19 || 31 || 78 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1984–85 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 36 || 12 || 24 || 36 || 106 || 6 || 5 || 7 || 12 || 8
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1985–86 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 31 || 17 || 17 || 34 || 80 || 5 || 5 || 1 || 6 || 6
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1986–87 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 36 || 12 || 20 || 32 || 48 || 5 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 10
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1987–88 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 33 || 7 || 11 || 18 || 38 || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 2
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1988–89 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 36 || 14 || 11 || 25 || 48 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1989–90 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 31 || 10 || 5 || 15 || 30 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1990–91 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 34 || 8 || 6 || 14 || 46 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1991–92 || Fife Flyers || BHL || 28 || 3 || 4 || 7 || 14 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1992–93 || [[Sheffield Steelers]] || BHL || 30 || 2 || 13 || 15 || 64 || 6 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 4
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1993–94 || Sheffield Steelers || BHL || 37 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 50 || 8 || 2 || 1 || 3 || 4
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1994–95 || Sheffield Steelers || BHL || 44 || 1 || 11 || 12 || 37 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1994–95 || [[Coventry Blaze|Solihull Blaze]] || BHL || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 2 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1994–95 || [[Basingstoke Bison|Basingstoke Beavers]] || BHL || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1995–96 || Sheffield Steelers || BHL || 36 || 1 || 5 || 6 || 70 || 8 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1995–96 || Sheffield Steelers || BHL || 36 || 1 || 5 || 6 || 70 || 8 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1995–96 || Basingstoke Beavers || BHL || 3 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1996–97 || [[Blackburn Hawks]] || [[English National Ice Hockey League|ENIHL]] || 28 || 9 || 17 || 26 || 36 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1997–98 || [[Blackburn Hawks|Lancashire Hawks]] || ENIHL || 28 || 3 || 14 || 17 || 18 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1997–98 || [[Basingstoke Bison]] || [[Ice Hockey Superleague|ISL]] || 6 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1998–99 || [[Milton Keynes Kings]] || [[English Premier Ice Hockey League|EPIHL]] || 6 || 3 || 4 || 7 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1998–99 || [[Edinburgh Capitals]] || [[British National League|BNL]] || 16 || 0 || 3 || 3 || 8 || 6 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 1998–99 || Basingstoke Bison || BNL || 32 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 12 || 7 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 6
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 1999–00 || Edinburgh Capitals || BNL || 29 || 0 || 2 || 2 || 12 || 6 || 2 || 3 || 6 || 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2000–01 || [[Hull Thunder]] || BNL || 36 || 5 || 12 || 17 || 40 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2002–03 || [[Newcastle Vipers]] || BNL || 2 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2002–03 || Edinburgh Capitals || BNL || 1 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2002–03 || [[Sheffield Scimitars]] || ENIHL || 27 || 8 || 34 || 42 || 8 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2003–04 || Sheffield Scimitars || ENIHL || || || || || || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2004–05 || Sheffield Scimitars || ENIHL || 16 || 4 || 23 || 27 || 22 || 7 || 0 || 1 || 1 || 8
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2004–05 || Sheffield Steelers || [[Elite Ice Hockey League|EIHL]] || 1 || 0 || 0 || 0 || 0 || || || || ||
|- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0"
| 2005–06 || Sheffield Scimitars || EPIHL || 39 || 3 || 3 || 6 || 51 || 7 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2
|- ALIGN="center"
| 2006–07 || Sheffield Scimitars || EPIHL || 9 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 2 || || || || ||
|}

==Footnotes==
{{refs}}

==References==
*[http://www.eurohockey.net/ European Hockey.Net]
*[http://www.ihjuk.co.uk/ Ice Hockey Journalists UK]
*[http://www.hockeydb.com/ The Internet Hockey Database]

==External links==
*{{Eurohockey|12741}}
*{{hockeydb|14010}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abel, Neil}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Basingstoke Beavers players]]
[[Category:Basingstoke Bison (BNL) players]]
[[Category:Basingstoke Bison (ISL) players]]
[[Category:Blackburn Hawks players]]
[[Category:Edinburgh Capitals (BNL) players]]
[[Category:Fife Flyers players]]
[[Category:Hull Thunder players]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Newcastle Vipers players]]
[[Category:Nottingham Panthers (1980-present) players]]
[[Category:Scottish ice hockey players]]
[[Category:Sheffield Scimitars players]]
[[Category:Sheffield Steelers players]]