When the Red Wings once played an exhibition game in Saskatoon, a 12-year-boy knocked on Sid Abel's hotel-room door and asked if he could carry Abel's skates to the rink.

That young lad was Gordie Howe, who by 1948-49 was the most promising young star in the NHL and Abel's right-winger, but the story emphasized the sort of respect Abel carried in the hockey world.

The Red Wings captain was viewed far and wide as one of those players who possessed the hockey sense that only a few of the greats have and in 1948-49, everyone came to appreciate Abel's abilities.

Working as the pivot on Detroit's famous Production Line between Howe and left-winger Ted Lindsay, Abel and Lindsay tied for the club's scoring lead.

"I kept telling my wife Gloria to pinch me," Abel recalled of that magical season, which saw him earn the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. "I felt sure I was going to wake up and find that I'd been having a wonderful dream."

Abel broke in with the Wings in 1938-39 and was named captain in 1942-43, the first of three seasons he led them to the Stanley Cup. "He was a great leader and a great player," teammate Marty Pavelich said. By 1948-49, Abel was one of the few veterans on a club emerging as the NHL's most dominant force and he appreciated every minute of it. "We've never had a club with so much spirit and ability," he said. "It's the best team I ever played with and I only hope I can stick around for a couple of more years, because it should be an outfit that keeps getting better."

Abel remained with the Wings through the 1951-52 season and during his career earned NHL All-Star status at both left wing and center. His winner in Game 6 of the 1950 finals helped the Wings rally from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the New York Rangers, as he led Detroit with six tallies that spring.

"He made you feel like every game was just another game and let's go have some fun," teammate Johnny Wilson said.

Abel took over as player-coach of Chicago in 1952-53, but returned to Detroit as coach in the midst of the 1957-58 campaign, leading them to four Stanley Cup final appearances in a 12-season tenure at the helm. He also served as GM of the Wings from 1963-71 and as a radio and television broadcaster.

Abel was enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1969.