Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Abbott's Medals Enter Hockey Hall Of Fame:

Lyman (Hick) Abbott who was remembered Friday, June 13th was among the 2014 inductees into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in Regina. Earlier this Month Abbott's first world war medals were entered into the Hockey Hall of Fame. 

The Abbott Memorial Cup, commonly referred to as the Abbott Cup, was awarded annually from 1919 through 1999 to the Junior "A" Champion for Western Canada was awarded following a round-robin game between the two western teams at the then-Centennial Cup.  The last Junior A hockey team to win the Abbott Cup was the 1999 Vernon Vipers.

The Cup was named after Captain E.L. (Hick) Abbott who was a noted hockey player in Western Canada. He captained the Regina Victorias when it won the Junior Championship of Canada in 1913 and 1914. Captain Abbott died in active service in the First World War and the trophy was presented in his memory in 1919 by the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association.

The concept of a Western Canada Junior A Championship continued in 2013 with the creation of the Western Canada Cup.

The Vernon Lakers - Vernon Vipers won the Abbott Cup four times (1989,1991,1992 & 1999)
 
For more info and history on the Abbott Cup, please check out the link below,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbott_Cup

For more on Hick Abbott, click the link below

http://vipersdiehardfan.blogspot.ca/2010/11/story-of-hick-abbott.html

This is posted on Gregg Drinnans Blog:

Hick Abbott's Medals enter Hockey Hall of Fame

Monday, December 15, 2014

Last week was important for those of us who have worked to honour the memory of Lyman (Hick) Abbott.

Abbott, who was from Regina, was one of Western Canada’s best young athletes when he lost his life in the First World War.

Out of the Great War, he was awarded the Military Cross and Bar, along with the British War Medal. He is believed to be Regina’s highest-decorated veteran of that conflict.

Over time, those medals came to be in the possession of someone outside of the Abbott family. The good news is that recently, after a 2-1/2-year quest, those medals were secured by the Abbott family.

Last week, Mark Abbott, a representative of the family, presented the medals on loan to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. (Hick Abbott was a cousin of Mark Abbott’s grandfather, George Ira Abbott.)

The medals now are part of a display in the HHOF that honours First World War veterans.

Part of that display is the Abbott Memorial Cup, which is named in honour of Hick Abbott. Originally awarded to Western Canada’s top junior team, it was withdrawn from competition a few years ago.

 Also included in the display is Abbott’s homemade identification bracelet that he was wearing when he was felled by a sniper on Aug. 14, 1918.

Mark Abbott presented the medals to Scott Veber, the HHOF’s creative director and curatorial associate, who organized the First World War display. Also on hand were Dave Thomson, who aided in the securing of the medals, and Walter Gretzky.

While the Abbott family worked to secure the medals, Hick Abbott was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in Regina last summer.

It is believed that, once the HHOF exhibit closes, the Abbott family would like those medals to go on display at the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame.

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