 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (September 2022) |
| Taffy Abel | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||
| Born |
May 28, 1900 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Died |
August 1, 1964 (aged 64) Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg; 16 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defense | ||||||||||||||||
| Shot | Left | ||||||||||||||||
| Played for |
New York Rangers Chicago Black Hawks | ||||||||||||||||
| National team |
 United States | ||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1925–1934 | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Clarence John "Taffy" Abel (May 28, 1900 – August 1, 1964) was an American professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks between 1926 and 1934. Born in 1900 in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, United States, as a Native American Ojibwe, he was forced to hide his Native American ancestry until 1939. He was a silver medalist in ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics and the U.S. flagbearer for those games, making him the first Native American to play, and to win a medal, in the Winter Olympics.[1] He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams. On November 16, 1926, he became the first United States–born Native American player to become an NHL regular, with the New York Rangers. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.[2][1]
- ^ a b "The first Native American in the Winter Olympics hid his identity to stay safe". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
- ^ Adams, Jim (February 3, 2022). "A Forgotten Olympic First: Taffy Abel, U.S. hockey's initial American Indian player, won a silver medal at the inaugural Winter Games almost a century ago". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved February 4, 2022.