Production Line
The Production Line was a series of attacks by the Detroit Red Wings ice hockey team from the North American NHL . Their original formation consisted of Sid Abel , Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay .
In 1947, Tommy Ivan , who had just become the coach of the Detroit Red Wings, put together a series of attacks that would help dominate the league in the years that followed. Sid Abel, by far the oldest from the formation, played on the position of the center , while the 22-year-old Ted Lindsay and the 19-year-old Gordie Howe as left and right wing forward were used.
Abel had been part of the Red Wings since 1938 and was no longer particularly fast at the age of 29, but his young teammates were able to compensate for this. But Abel was an experienced playmaker who could lead the two talents on the ice. The three perfected their teamwork over the years and at the end of the 1949/50 season they occupied the first three places in the NHL scorer list. In 1950 and 1952 they also led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup victory.
With Production Line, the media and fans found a suitable name for the formation, which was an indispensable part of the team due to its productivity and it should also be a tribute to the city of Detroit , which is the center of US automobile production.
In the summer of 1952, Sid Abel was sold to the Chicago Blackhawks , but the production line continued to exist as a successor to the team, 21-year-old Alex Delvecchio, was already part of the team. This formation played together until 1957, before Ted Lindsay, like Sid Abel before, left the Red Wings for Chicago.
The first formation with Abel, Howe and Lindsay was highly decorated in the time of its existence. From 1947 to 1952 they received three Art Ross Trophies for best scorer, three Hart Memorial Trophies for most valuable player, twice led the league in goals and won two Stanley Cups.
In the five years with Delvecchio as the center there were two Art Ross Trophies, a Hart Memorial Trophy, two titles as top scorer and two Stanley Cups.
All four players were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame at the end of their careers . They also honored the Detroit Red Wings by blocking their jersey numbers and hanging them on the ceiling of the Joe Louis Arena as banners .
Web links
- The Production Line on legendsofhockey.net