Leon Abbott

Leon Abbott
Playing career
?	Alberta
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1969–1972	RPI
1972–1973	Boston University
1976–1979	St. Lawrence
Head coaching record
Overall	87–117–7 (.429)

Leon Abbott is a former college ice hockey coach who is most remembered for being fired by Boston University six games into the 1973–74 season for violating NCAA eligibility rules.^[1]

Career

Abbott began his coaching career after graduating from McGill in 1964.^[2] He coached briefly for a small college in Alberta before moving to take an assistant coaching position at St. Lawrence.^[3] In 1969 Abbott was offered the top job at Rensselaer, taking over from Garry Kearns, and after a poor first season, returned the Engineers to winning ways with 16- and 17-win seasons, making the ECAC tournament in consecutive seasons.^[4]

Abbott received his big break in 1972 when Jack Kelley stepped away from Boston University to pursue a professional coaching career and Abbott was given the job to replace him.^[5] The Terriers were coming off back-to-back National Championships^[6] and didn't take much of a step backwards with their new bench boss, finishing the season at a 22-6-1 mark, but after the season the NCAA forced BU to forfeit 11 wins due to ineligible players.^[7] While that decision meant little in and of itself as the Terriers had already finished their season, the team and Abbott in particular were placed under heightened scrutiny by the NCAA. Early in the following season, two players (Peter Marzo and Bill Buckton) were ruled to be professional athletes by having accepted money to play amateur hockey, a violation of NCAA regulations.^[1] While federal court judge Joseph L. Tauro later reinstated the players, the damage had been done. After a 4–2 start, Abbott was fired by BU and replaced by his assistant, Jack Parker.

After the season Abbott returned to his undergraduate alma mater, Alberta, and assumed head coaching duties until he was offered a third NCAA job, this time by St. Lawrence.^[3] The Saints had been slipping in the standings and were looking for someone to return them to their earlier glory but bringing Abbott back to Canton didn't work out as expected. In three seasons Abbott posted a record of 28-59-2, finishing well out of the conference playoffs each year. Things began to look up at the beginning of his fourth campaign as the Saints won their first three contests, but everything went south after as they dropped eight straight matches. The final straw was a 12-3 trouncing by Clarkson on December 1 after which Abbott stepped down as head coach.^[8]

Head coaching record

References:^[7]^[8]^[9]

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Rensselaer Engineers (ECAC Hockey) (1969–1972)
1969–70	Rensselaer	8-15-1	3-13-1	15th
1970–71	Rensselaer	16-7-2	7-5-2	8th	ECAC Quarterfinals
1971–72	Rensselaer	17-9-1	9-7-1	7th	ECAC Quarterfinals
Rensselaer:		41-31-4	19-25-4
Boston University Terriers (ECAC Hockey) (1972–1973)
1972–73	Boston University	11-17-1^	9-8-1^	8th	ECAC Quarterfinals
1973–74	Boston University	4-2-0†	3-1-0†
Boston University:		15-19-1	12-9-1
St. Lawrence Saints (ECAC Hockey) (1976–1979)
1976–77	St. Lawrence	8-20-0	3-17-0	16th
1977–78	St. Lawrence	12-18-0	8-14-0	13th
1978–79	St. Lawrence	8-21-2	5-18-1	15th
1979–80	St. Lawrence	3-8-0‡	0-4-0‡
St. Lawrence:		31-67-2	16-53-1
Total:		87-117-7
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

^BU forfeited 11 wins after the 1972–73 season due to an ineligible player. Record without forfeits is 22-6-1 (13-4-1 ECAC).

†BU fired Abbott on December 21, 1973. Jack Parker finished the season. BU credits the first six games of the 1973–74 season to Abbott and the remaining 25 games to Parker.

‡Abbott stepped down from his position mid-season

References

^ ^a ^b "BU drops Abbott as ice coach". The Montreal Gazette. 1973-12-24. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ "Leon Abbott Historical Record". College Hockey News. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ ^a ^b "Abbott Quits Spot as Larrie Coach". Schenectady Gazette. 1979-12-05. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ "Leon Abbott Year-By-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ "Boston University Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ ^a ^b "2009-10 Boston University Media Guide: History" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ ^a ^b "2014-15 St. Lawrence Saints Media Guide" (PDF). St. Lawrence Saints. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
^ "2009-10 RPI Engineers Media Guide" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

External links

Leon Abbott career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database

[mon-1] "BU drops Abbott as ice coach". The Montreal Gazette. 1973-12-24. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[2] "Leon Abbott Historical Record". College Hockey News. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[sch-3] "Abbott Quits Spot as Larrie Coach". Schenectady Gazette. 1979-12-05. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[4] "Leon Abbott Year-By-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[5] "Boston University Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[6] "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[BU-7] "2009-10 Boston University Media Guide: History" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[media-8] "2014-15 St. Lawrence Saints Media Guide" (PDF). St. Lawrence Saints. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[9] "2009-10 RPI Engineers Media Guide" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved 2014-07-15.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

v t e RPI Engineers men's ice hockey
Formerly the RPI Bachelors
Playing venues	Houston Field House (1949–present)
Head coaches	Leroy Clark (1917–1923) W. J. Cook (1924–1925) Marvin Callan (1925–1931, 1936–1937) Ned Harkness (1949–1963) Rube Bjorkman (1963–1964) Garry Kearns (1964–1969) Leon Abbott (1969–1972) Jim Salfi (1972–1979) Mike Addesa (1979–1989) Buddy Powers (1989–1994) Dan Fridgen (1994–2006) Seth Appert (2006–2017) Dave Smith (2017– )
Seasons	1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1936–37 1937–38 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Tri-State League (1950–1972) ECAC Hockey (1961–present)
Rivalries	Union Dutchmen Clarkson Golden Knights
Culture & lore	Rensselaer Holiday Tournament
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Frank Chiarelli (265 Points) Frank Chiarelli (155 Goals) Neil Little (58 Wins)
National championships	1954 1985
Frozen Four appearances	1953 1954 1961 1964 1985
NCAA Tournament appearances	1953 1954 1961 1964 1984 1985 1994 1995 2011
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC: 1984 1985 1995
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY

v t e Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Boston Arena (1918–1971) Walter Brown Arena (1971–2005) Agganis Arena (2005–present)
Head coaches	Edgar Burkhardt (1917–1918) Harold Stuart (1919–1920) John O'Hare (1922–1924) Chippy Gaw (1924–1928) Wayland Vaughan (1928–1940) Syd Borofsky (1940–1941) Wayland Vaughan (1941–1943) Harry Cleverly (1945–1962) Jack Kelley (1962–1972) Leon Abbott (1972–1973) Jack Parker (1973–2013) David Quinn (2013–2018) Albie O'Connell (2018–2022) Jay Pandolfo (2022–present)
Seasons	1917–18 1919–20 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	ECAC Hockey (1961–1984) Hockey East (1984–Present)
Rivalries	Boston College Eagles (Green Line Rivalry) Beanpot Maine Black Bears
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders John Cullen (241 Points) Chris Drury (113 Goals) Sean Fields (62 Wins)
National championships	1971 1972 1978 1995 2009
Frozen Four appearances	1950 1951 1953 1960 1966 1967 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1990 1991 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2009 2015 2023 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances	1950 1951 1953 1960 1966 1967 1971 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1984 1986 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 2000 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2009 2012 2015 2016 2017 2018 2021 2023 2024
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC Hockey: 1972 1974 1975 1976 1977 Hockey East: 1986 1991 1994 1995 1997 2006 2009 2015 2018 2023
Hobey Baker winners	Chris Drury (1998) Matt Gilroy (2009) Jack Eichel (2015)
Boston University Boston, MA

v t e St. Lawrence Saints men's ice hockey
Playing venues	Weeks Field Rink (1925–1929) Brewer Field Rink (1929–1930) Appleton Arena (1951–present)
Head coaches	D. F. McCarthy (1925–1926) Formoza Degre (1926–1928) James Mallon (1929–1930) Alfred Sheard (1938–1941) Jack Klemens (1946–1947) Paul Patten (1947–1950) Olav Kollevoll (1950–1955) George Menard (1955–1967, 1968–1971) Bernie McKinnon (1967–1968, 1971–1976) Leon Abbott (1976–1979) Dale Henwood (1979–1980) Mike McShane (1980–1985) Joe Marsh (1985–2012) Greg Carvel (2012–2016) Mark Morris (2016–2019) Brent Brekke (2019–present)
Seasons	1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1942–43 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	Tri-State League (1950–1972) ECAC Hockey (1961–present)
Rivalries	Clarkson Golden Knights
Culture & lore	North Country Thanksgiving Festival
All-time leaders	Pete Lappin (187 Points) Brian McFarlane (101 Goals) Bill Sloan (65 Wins)
Frozen Four appearances	1952 1955 1956 1959 1960 1961 1962 1988 2000
NCAA Tournament appearances	1952 1955 1956 1959 1960 1961 1962 1983 1987 1988 1989 1992 1999 2000 2001 2007 2021*
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC: 1962 1988 1989 1992 2000 2001 2021
St. Lawrence University Canton, NY