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Chicago Blackhawks team up with Original Six rival to complete a surprising trade on this day in history

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Julien Trekker
July 22, 2025 (11:12)

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On this day in Chicago Blackhawks history, the franchise bought a legendary player from the Detroit Red Wings to make him player/coach.

With the Centennial Season on the horizon in Chicago, it's important to look back on what happend in the organization's past, and honor it.

On July 22, 1952, the Blackhawks made an unorthodox move by purchasing Sid «Old Bootnose» Abel's contract from the rival Red Wings and handing him a rare dual role: player and head coach.

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Abel had spent a decade as captain of the Detroit Red Wings, where he centered one of the most feared lines in hockey history: the «Production Line,» with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay. Together, they brought home three Stanley Cups for Detroit-in '43, '50, and just a few months before this deal, in '52.

At 35, Abel had already done more than most: 472 points in 612 games, another 58 points in 94 playoff games, and a Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1949.

But the Wings decided to move on. The Blackhawks, coming off a tough stretch, saw an opportunity, not just to bring in a proven winner, but to give their locker room a leader with instant credibility.

Gordie Howe never forgot what Abel meant to his early development

He once said:

"In my first game, he gave me my first lesson. 'What am I going to do if I get it and you're standing beside me? What I want you to do is get your fanny in front of the net Don't go on your backhand, go on your forehand ' And I'll be darned if I didn't go out the next shift and get a goal. You think I didn't listen to everything he said after that?"

Abel didn't last long as a player in Chicago, just over a season, but he stayed behind the bench through 1954, then returned to Detroit to coach the Wings for a decade and later serve as GM. He never lifted a Cup as a coach, but few have influenced the game more.

In 1969, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, the NHL named him one of its 100 Greatest Players.

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POLL
JUILLET 22 \| 665 ANSWERS Chicago Blackhawks team up with Original Six rival to complete a surprising trade on this day in history Do you think we could see a player/coach in today's NHL?
Yes	216	32.5 %
No	449	67.5 %
List of polls

Chicago Blackhawks team up with Original Six rival to complete a surprising trade on this day in history

On this day in Chicago Blackhawks history, the franchise bought a legendary player from the Detroit Red Wings to make him player/coach.

Gordie Howe never forgot what Abel meant to his early development

Do you think we could see a player/coach in today's NHL?