Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the hiring of Tim Abbott as the new Head Equipment Manager of the Thunderbolts for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Abbott brings over 25 years of professional hockey experience and over 35 years of overall professional sports experience to the Thunderbolts organization, most recently with the Knoxville Ice Bears, with whom Abbott served as Head Equipment Manager from 2022-2024. The native of Chesterfield, Michigan worked 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings organization, starting with their then-AHL farm team, the Adirondack Red Wings, between 1987-1992 as Head Equipment Manager. In Adirondack, Abbott was part of two Calder Cup Championship teams in 1989 and 1992. From 1995 to 2005, Abbott served as Assistant Equipment Manager in Detroit, winning three Stanley Cup Championships in 1997, 1998, and 2002. Abbott later worked in the ECHL between 2014-2022, mostly with the Allen Americans in Texas, where he still maintains a strong family presence, between 2016-2022, preceded by a season each with the Bakersfield Condors in 2014-15 and Norfolk Admirals in 2015-16. Outside of hockey, Abbott also spent a decade in professional arena football, winning another three championships with the Port Huron Pirates in 2006 and 2007 along with the Saginaw Sting in 2008.
“From top to bottom, the Thunderbolts look like a great organization to be with. They were one of the hardest teams we (Knoxville) played against last year, they showed up and played hard every night,” replied Abbott when asked about his outside impressions of the Thunderbolts while serving with Knoxville. “Being around for 37 years and bringing that experience into the locker room, I’m going to help Coach Bes, the players, and the other staff in any way I can, and be dedicated to working hard every day. I’m really excited to get to work alongside Coach Bes and the staff, I’ve been very fortunate to be around winning teams throughout my career, and I would love to see that continue here.” Coach Bes expressed similar excitement on adding Abbott’s experience into the locker room, commenting: “We are very excited to add Tim to our organization. Our players and I will benefit from his experience and the knowledge he has accrued over the past 37 years of his career.”
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