Background
He is the son of Hockey Hall of Fame member Sid Abel.
He is the son of Hockey Hall of Fame member Sid Abel.
Abel played junior hockey for the Hamilton Red Wings signing with the Detroit Red Wings. His father Sid was the head coach of the Red Wings at the time and upon signing, Gerry was quoted as saying "If I could be half as good as my dad, I"d be happy". In the end though, Abel played in only one National Hockey League game for the Red Wings during the 1966-1967 National Hockey League season, spending much of the season playing for the Memphis Wings as well as two games for the American Hockey League"s Pittsburgh Hornets.
After another season with Memphis, Abel retired from hockey.
