Curt Bennett
Encyclopedia
Curt Alexander Bennett (born March 27, 1948 in Regina
, Saskatchewan
and raised in Cranston
, Rhode Island
) is a former American ice hockey
forward
, who played in the National Hockey League
as well as for the United States national ice hockey team in the 1970s.
, and two of his brothers (Harvey Bennett Jr. and Bill Bennett
) also played in the NHL. His nephew Mac Bennett was selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
(79th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
).
Curt Bennett was drafted by the St. Louis Blues with the 16th pick in the 1968 NHL Entry Draft and joined the Blues in 1971 after three very successful seasons with the Brown University
men's hockey team as a defenseman. Bennett is a member of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame, holding the school records for goals by a defenseman in a game (7), season, and career. He graduated with a degree in Russian Studies from Brown, where he was also a captain of the men's tennis team and nominated for a Rhodes scholarship.
. He was traded to the New York Rangers
during the offseason, and after 16 games with the Rangers was dealt to the expansion Atlanta Flames
where he became one of the Flames' premier forwards. Bennett provided the leadership, defensive skills (he frequently guarded the opposing team's star player) and toughness a young team needed, and he represented the Flames in the 1975 and 1976 NHL All Star game after scoring a career-high 65 points in the 1975–1976 NHL season. He also served as one of the assistant captains on the United States team in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
tournament. He struggled in the following two NHL seasons and was dealt back to the St.Louis Blues in a six player trade in late 1977. Bennett spent the next two seasons with the Blues and during those years played for the US national team at the 1978 and 1979 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. In the summer of 1979, he was traded back to the Flames where he played a final 21 games in 1979/80, scoring just one goal.
Bennett ended his NHL career with 334 points in 580 games. He was the first American to reach the 30 goal plateau in a season.
, Japan
in 1980 to be a player/coach (along with his brother Harvey Bennett) for the Furukawa Denko club. While in Japan, Bennett filed television reports and wrote a number of articles for Goal magazine about his experience living in Japan and the local ice hockey culture. He had previous journalistic experience from working as a part-time Atlanta sportscaster during his career with the Flames and had also served as a national television color commentator during the 1977 Stanley Cup playoffs. He and his brother Harvey both retired from hockey in 1982 after two years with Furukawa.
After moving back to Atlanta, he became involved in commercial real estate and continued his work with the NHL Players' Association to help players transition to life after hockey. In 1992-93, he was an assistant coach for the International Hockey League Atlanta Knights and led a group of local businessmen working to bring NHL hockey back to Atlanta.
In 2000, he moved to Maui
where he owns a company that designs and builds water features both in the Hawaiian Islands and on the U.S. mainland.
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and raised in Cranston
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
) is a former American ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
, who played in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
as well as for the United States national ice hockey team in the 1970s.
Early life
Bennett came from a very good hockey family. His father Harvey Bennett, Sr.Harvey Bennett, Sr.
Harvey A. Bennett, Sr. was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender who played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He was born in Edington, Saskatchewan and married Diana Helen Sullivan . Of his six sons, Harvey Bennett, Jr., Curt Bennett, and Bill Bennett all played in the NHL...
, and two of his brothers (Harvey Bennett Jr. and Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett (ice hockey)
William Bennett is a retired American ice hockey left winger. He played for the Boston Bruins and Hartford Whalers.-External links:...
) also played in the NHL. His nephew Mac Bennett was selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or...
(79th overall by the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
).
Curt Bennett was drafted by the St. Louis Blues with the 16th pick in the 1968 NHL Entry Draft and joined the Blues in 1971 after three very successful seasons with the Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
men's hockey team as a defenseman. Bennett is a member of the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame, holding the school records for goals by a defenseman in a game (7), season, and career. He graduated with a degree in Russian Studies from Brown, where he was also a captain of the men's tennis team and nominated for a Rhodes scholarship.
Playing career
Bennett appeared in four NHL games in his rookie season before becoming a regular player for the Blues in the 1972 Stanley Cup playoffsStanley Cup playoffs
The Stanley Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament in the National Hockey League consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records...
. He was traded to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
during the offseason, and after 16 games with the Rangers was dealt to the expansion Atlanta Flames
Atlanta Flames
The Atlanta Flames were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA from 1972 to 1980. The team, a member of the National Hockey League , was relocated to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for the start of the 1980–81 NHL season and were re-named the Calgary Flames. The NHL returned to the...
where he became one of the Flames' premier forwards. Bennett provided the leadership, defensive skills (he frequently guarded the opposing team's star player) and toughness a young team needed, and he represented the Flames in the 1975 and 1976 NHL All Star game after scoring a career-high 65 points in the 1975–1976 NHL season. He also served as one of the assistant captains on the United States team in the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup
1976 Canada Cup
The 1976 Canada Cup was an international ice hockey tournament held September 2–15, 1976, in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Quebec, Canada as well as in Philadelphia, United States. It was the first of five Canada Cup tournaments held between 1976 and 1991...
tournament. He struggled in the following two NHL seasons and was dealt back to the St.Louis Blues in a six player trade in late 1977. Bennett spent the next two seasons with the Blues and during those years played for the US national team at the 1978 and 1979 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. In the summer of 1979, he was traded back to the Flames where he played a final 21 games in 1979/80, scoring just one goal.
Bennett ended his NHL career with 334 points in 580 games. He was the first American to reach the 30 goal plateau in a season.
Post career
Bennett emigrated to NikkoNikko, Tochigi
is a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. Approximately 140 km north of Tokyo and 35 km west of Utsunomiya, the capital of Tochigi Prefecture, it is a popular destination for Japanese and international tourists...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1980 to be a player/coach (along with his brother Harvey Bennett) for the Furukawa Denko club. While in Japan, Bennett filed television reports and wrote a number of articles for Goal magazine about his experience living in Japan and the local ice hockey culture. He had previous journalistic experience from working as a part-time Atlanta sportscaster during his career with the Flames and had also served as a national television color commentator during the 1977 Stanley Cup playoffs. He and his brother Harvey both retired from hockey in 1982 after two years with Furukawa.
After moving back to Atlanta, he became involved in commercial real estate and continued his work with the NHL Players' Association to help players transition to life after hockey. In 1992-93, he was an assistant coach for the International Hockey League Atlanta Knights and led a group of local businessmen working to bring NHL hockey back to Atlanta.
In 2000, he moved to Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
where he owns a company that designs and builds water features both in the Hawaiian Islands and on the U.S. mainland.