Leon Abbott

Leon Abbott
Playing career
1959–1964	McGill
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1966–1969	Macdonald College
1969–1972	RPI
1972–1973	Boston University
1974–1975	Austin Mavericks
1975–1976	Alberta
1976–1979	St. Lawrence
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1980–1991	Mount Allison
Head coaching record
Overall	87–117–7 (.429)

Leon Hedley Abbott^[1] 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.^[2]

Career

Abbott was born in Edmonton and raised in Montreal.^[3] He graduated from Montreal West High School and attended McGill University from 1959 to 1964, where he played both ice hockey and football.^[4] After graduating, he was hired as a teacher and football and basketball coach at Percival High School in Val-d'Or.^[5]^[6] He was the head coach at Macdonald College for three seasons before becoming head coach at Rensselaer in 1969.^[7] He took 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.^[8]

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.^[9] The Terriers were coming off back-to-back National Championships^[10] and didn't take much of a step backwards with their new bench boss, finishing the season at a 22-6-1 mark.^[11] During the offseason, two of BU's players, Peter Marzo and Bill Buckton, were declared ineligible by the ECAC for accepting small amounts of expense money while playing junior ice hockey in their native Canada. The players, supported by Abbott, challenged the decision in federal court. Judge Joseph L. Tauro granted the pair an injunction allowing them to play on the basis that the ECAC's rules were likely unconstitutional because they treated American and foreign born players differently. The ECAC held a rehearing on December 11, 1973, during which Abbott testified that he had told neither player to lie about compensation on their affidavits to the conference, but did not press them hard to divulge all compensation they had received.^[12] On December 22, 1973, Abbott was fired by BU athletic director Warren Schmakel, who stated that the hearings had made it clear that Abbott "was aware of the apparent misstatements in the affidavits and hadn't informed the university officials" which "put BU in an embarrassing position". Abbott believed he was being scapegoated because "the ECAC and NCAA want[ed] to protect their role concerning the eligibility of Junior A players, and Boston University wants to avoid censure and still keep the boys eligible. To do that, they need somebody to blame, and I guess I'm the scapegoat". He was replaced by his assistant, Jack Parker.^[13]

During the 1974–75 season, Abbott was the head coach and general manager of the Austin Mavericks.^[4] In 1975, he agreed to coach University of Alberta for one season while Clare Drake was on a leave of absence coaching the Edmonton Oilers.^[3]

In 1976, he was offered a third NCAA job, this time by St. Lawrence.^[4] 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.^[14]

From 1980 to 1991, Abbott was the athletic director at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.^[15] From 1988 to 1990, he was also president of the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union.^[16]

Head coaching record

References:^[11]^[14]^[17]

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

^ McGill University Calendar 1960-1961. p. 5005. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "BU drops Abbott as ice coach". The Montreal Gazette. December 24, 1973. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "Bears nab Abbott". The Phoenix. July 31, 1975. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Leon Abbott to guide St. Lawrence ice wars". Courier and Freeman. June 8, 1976. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "Football Season Approaching". The Val d'Or Star. September 24, 1964. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "Kappy's Korner: Meet the Coaches". The Val d'Or Star. October 1, 1964. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "New Hockey Coach". Niagara Falls Gazette. March 14, 1969. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "Leon Abbott Year-By-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ "Boston University Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ ^a ^b "2009-10 Boston University Media Guide: History" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ Kaminsky, Arthur (December 30, 1973). "Ousted Coach Is Defended In Foreign Player Dispute". The New York Times.
^ Powers, John (December 23, 1973). "BU fires Abbott; coach says he's cast in 'scapegoat' role". The Boston Globe.
^ ^a ^b "2014-15 St. Lawrence Saints Media Guide" (PDF). St. Lawrence Saints. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
^ Connolly, Pat (May 19, 1991). "Clippers' CSL entry is a crap shoot". Daily News.
^ "CIS Presidents". U Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
^ "2009-10 RPI Engineers Media Guide" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

External links

Leon Abbott career statistics at HockeyDB

[1] McGill University Calendar 1960-1961. p. 5005. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[mon-2] "BU drops Abbott as ice coach". The Montreal Gazette. December 24, 1973. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[Alberta-3] "Bears nab Abbott". The Phoenix. July 31, 1975. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[Courier_and_Freeman-4] "Leon Abbott to guide St. Lawrence ice wars". Courier and Freeman. June 8, 1976. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[5] "Football Season Approaching". The Val d'Or Star. September 24, 1964. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[6] "Kappy's Korner: Meet the Coaches". The Val d'Or Star. October 1, 1964. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[7] "New Hockey Coach". Niagara Falls Gazette. March 14, 1969. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[8] "Leon Abbott Year-By-Year Coaching Record". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[9] "Boston University Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[10] "NCAA Division 1 Tournament". College Hockey Historical Archive. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[BU-11] "2009-10 Boston University Media Guide: History" (PDF). Boston University Terriers. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[12] Kaminsky, Arthur (December 30, 1973). "Ousted Coach Is Defended In Foreign Player Dispute". The New York Times.

[13] Powers, John (December 23, 1973). "BU fires Abbott; coach says he's cast in 'scapegoat' role". The Boston Globe.

[media-14] "2014-15 St. Lawrence Saints Media Guide" (PDF). St. Lawrence Saints. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

[15] Connolly, Pat (May 19, 1991). "Clippers' CSL entry is a crap shoot". Daily News.

[16] "CIS Presidents". U Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2025.

[17] "2009-10 RPI Engineers Media Guide" (PDF). RPI Engineers. Retrieved July 15, 2014.

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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 (2017–2025) Eric Lang (2025–present)
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 2025–26
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 J. 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 2025–26
Conference affiliations	New England Intercollegiate Hockey League (1936–54) ECAC Hockey (1961–1984) Hockey East (1984–present)
Rivalries	Boston College Eagles (Green Line Rivalry) Beanpot Maine Black Bears Cornell Big Red
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	NEIHL: 1951 1952 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) Macklin Celebrini (2024)
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 2025–26
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