Clint Benedict
Encyclopedia
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict (September 26, 1892 – November 12, 1976) was a Canadian
professional
ice hockey
goaltender
who played for the Ottawa Senators
and the Montreal Maroons
. He played on four Stanley Cup
-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League
(NHL) to wear a face mask. He led league goaltenders in shutouts seven times over his professional career. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
.
Benedict was one of the first great goalies in professional hockey and a great innovator in the sport. He was the first goalie to drop to his knees to stop the puck along the ice. At the time, dropping to the ice was illegal, but Benedict circumvented the rules by pretending to pray on his knees. This earned him the nickname "praying Benny." The first rule change of the NHL was made to legalize his playing style.
of the National Hockey Association
(NHA) in the 1912–13 season. Although the Senators had at the time future Hall of Famer Percy LeSueur
as their starting goaltender, Benedict played 10 games for the club. He played one more season as backup to LeSueur and took over as starting goaltender in the 1914–15
season. He led the league in Goals Against Average
(GAA) that season and the following two seasons to start his career. He played 12 seasons overall for the Senators.
After winning three Stanley Cups with the Senators, his career changed in the 1923–24
season. Benedict developed a problem with drinking, which at first was kept secret by the Senators. Benedict occasionally played for the Senators while under the effects. In the playoffs, Benedict and the Senators played poorly and were quickly eliminated. Management withheld some of his salary for his behaviour. Benedict sued the team in return and the Senators countersued, revealing in court documents the extent of Benedict's behaviour. Once the Ottawa papers found out about the court case, the secret was out. The two sides quickly settled to minimize the publicity.
Benedict's career with the Senators was finished. On October 20, 1924, Benedict was traded along with Punch Broadbent
to the expansion Montreal Maroons
. It was a new lease on life for Benedict who played for six seasons with the Maroons. In 1926, he won another Stanley Cup with the Maroons.
In 1930, some 30 years before Jacques Plante
popularized the goalie mask, Clint was the first goalie to wear facial protection in the NHL
with the Montreal Maroons using it for five games during the 1929–30 season. On January 7, 1930, he was hit by a shot from Howie Morenz
in the face, breaking the bridge of his nose. Benedict was out of action for six weeks. He returned on February 20, 1930 against the New York Americans
wearing the mask. He played with a mask for five games in total and according to Douglas Hunter, Benedict modified or tried different masks during the sequence of games. His last game wearing a mask was on March 4, 1930 when he got hit in the face during a goal-mouth scramble. He had to leave the game due to blood coming from his nose. When asked about his short-lived face mask Benedict remarked: The game against Ottawa was his last game in the NHL. In June 1930, Benedict was placed on waivers. The next season he played for the Windsor Bulldogs senior hockey team, the Maroons farm team, leading them to the IHL championship.
In 1932, Benedict became manager and coach of Saint John of the Maritime Senior Hockey League, a position he held for two seasons.
Benedict was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, much later than would be expected of a player of his ability and career and possibly due to the events of 1924. Benedict lived to 84 years of age, dying in 1976 in Ottawa.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
professional
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
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...
goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
who played for the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
and the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
. He played on four Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
-winning squads. He was the first goaltender 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...
(NHL) to wear a face mask. He led league goaltenders in shutouts seven times over his professional career. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
.
Benedict was one of the first great goalies in professional hockey and a great innovator in the sport. He was the first goalie to drop to his knees to stop the puck along the ice. At the time, dropping to the ice was illegal, but Benedict circumvented the rules by pretending to pray on his knees. This earned him the nickname "praying Benny." The first rule change of the NHL was made to legalize his playing style.
Playing career
Benedict played senior-level hockey at 17, playing for the Ottawa Stewartons of the Ottawa City league in 1909–10, moving to the Ottawa New Edinburghs of the Inter-provincial Amateur Hockey Union the following season. Benedict joined the Ottawa SenatorsOttawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA) in the 1912–13 season. Although the Senators had at the time future Hall of Famer Percy LeSueur
Percy LeSueur
Sergeant Percy St. Helier LeSueur was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender. He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup challenge series attracted the attention of his opponents, the Ottawa Silver Seven...
as their starting goaltender, Benedict played 10 games for the club. He played one more season as backup to LeSueur and took over as starting goaltender in the 1914–15
1914–15 NHA season
The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers...
season. He led the league in Goals Against Average
Goals against average
Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender....
(GAA) that season and the following two seasons to start his career. He played 12 seasons overall for the Senators.
After winning three Stanley Cups with the Senators, his career changed in the 1923–24
1923–24 Ottawa Senators season
The 1923–24 Ottawa Senators season was the club's 39th season of play and seventh season in the NHL. Coming off a Stanley Cup Championship in 1923, they had won three cups in the previous four seasons. The Senators moved into the brand new Ottawa Auditorium prior to the season...
season. Benedict developed a problem with drinking, which at first was kept secret by the Senators. Benedict occasionally played for the Senators while under the effects. In the playoffs, Benedict and the Senators played poorly and were quickly eliminated. Management withheld some of his salary for his behaviour. Benedict sued the team in return and the Senators countersued, revealing in court documents the extent of Benedict's behaviour. Once the Ottawa papers found out about the court case, the secret was out. The two sides quickly settled to minimize the publicity.
Benedict's career with the Senators was finished. On October 20, 1924, Benedict was traded along with Punch Broadbent
Punch Broadbent
Harold Lawton "Punch" Broadbent was an ice hockey player for the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Maroons and the New York Americans, and generally regarded as one of the first true power forwards in National Hockey League history.-Personal life:Born in Ottawa, Ontario...
to the expansion Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
. It was a new lease on life for Benedict who played for six seasons with the Maroons. In 1926, he won another Stanley Cup with the Maroons.
In 1930, some 30 years before Jacques Plante
Jacques Plante
Joseph Jacques Omer Plante was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. During a career lasting from 1947–1975, he was considered to be one of the most important innovators in hockey...
popularized the goalie mask, Clint was the first goalie to wear facial protection in the NHL
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...
with the Montreal Maroons using it for five games during the 1929–30 season. On January 7, 1930, he was hit by a shot from Howie Morenz
Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League teams: the Montreal Canadiens , the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers...
in the face, breaking the bridge of his nose. Benedict was out of action for six weeks. He returned on February 20, 1930 against the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
wearing the mask. He played with a mask for five games in total and according to Douglas Hunter, Benedict modified or tried different masks during the sequence of games. His last game wearing a mask was on March 4, 1930 when he got hit in the face during a goal-mouth scramble. He had to leave the game due to blood coming from his nose. When asked about his short-lived face mask Benedict remarked: The game against Ottawa was his last game in the NHL. In June 1930, Benedict was placed on waivers. The next season he played for the Windsor Bulldogs senior hockey team, the Maroons farm team, leading them to the IHL championship.
In 1932, Benedict became manager and coach of Saint John of the Maritime Senior Hockey League, a position he held for two seasons.
Benedict was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, much later than would be expected of a player of his ability and career and possibly due to the events of 1924. Benedict lived to 84 years of age, dying in 1976 in Ottawa.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GPI | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA Goals against average Goals Against Average is a statistic used in ice hockey, water polo, lacrosse, and soccer that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender.... |
GPI | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | ||
| 1909–10 | Ottawa Stewartons | OCSHL | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 420 | 21 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | ||
| 1910–11 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | OCSHL | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 360 | 24 | 0 | 4.0 | ||||||||||
| 1910–11 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | IPAHU | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 300 | 18 | 0 | 3.6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 180 | 13 | 0 | 4.25 | ||
| 1911–12 | Ottawa New Edinburghs | IPAHU | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 420 | 21 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | ||
| 1912–13 | Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
NHA National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League... |
10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 275 | 16 | 1 | 3.49 | ||||||||||
| 1913–14 1913–14 NHA season The 1913–14 NHA season was the fifth season of the National Hockey Association . At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship. The Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff... |
Ottawa Senators | NHA | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 474 | 29 | 0 | 3.67 | ||||||||||
| 1914–15 1914–15 NHA season The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers... |
Ottawa Senators | NHA | 20 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1243 | 65 | 0 | 3.14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||
| 1914–15 | Ottawa Senators | Stanley Cup | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 180 | 26 | 0 | 8.6 | ||||||||||
| 1915–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 24 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 1447 | 72 | 2 | 1.99 | ||||||||||
| 1916–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 18 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 1103 | 50 | 1 | 2.72 | ||||||||||
| 1917–18 | Ottawa Senators | NHL 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... |
7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 420 | 21 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | ||
| 1918–19 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 18 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1149 | 53 | 2 | 2.77 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 300 | 26 | 0 | 5.2 | ||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 1443 | 64 | 5 | 2.66 | ||||||||||
| 1919–20 | Ottawa Senators | Stanley Cup | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 300 | 11 | 1 | 2.2 | ||||||||||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 1457 | 75 | 2 | 3.09 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 420 | 12 | 2 | 2.0 | ||
| 1920–21 | Ottawa Senators | Stanley Cup | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 300 | 12 | 0 | 2.4 | ||||||||||
| 1921–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 1508 | 84 | 2 | 3.32 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 5 | 1 | 3.0 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 1486 | 54 | 4 | 2.18 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 480 | 10 | 3 | 1.00 | ||
| 1922–23 | Ottawa Senators | Stanley Cup | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 361 | 8 | 1 | 1.33 | ||||||||||
| 1923–24 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1356 | 45 | 3 | 1.99 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 120 | 5 | 0 | 2.5 | ||
| 1924–25 | Montreal Maroons Montreal Maroons The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935... |
NHL | 30 | 9 | 19 | 2 | 1843 | 65 | 2 | 2.12 | ||||||||||
| 1925–26 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 36 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 2288 | 73 | 6 | 1.91 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 480 | 8 | 4 | 1.0 | ||
| 1925–26 | Montreal Maroons | Stanley Cup | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 249 | 3 | 3 | 0.75 | ||||||||||
| 1926–27 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 43 | 20 | 19 | 4 | 2748 | 65 | 13 | 1.42 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 132 | 2 | 0 | 1.0 | ||
| 1927–28 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 44 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 2690 | 76 | 7 | 1.7 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 555 | 8 | 4 | 1.0 | ||
| 1928–29 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 37 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 2300 | 57 | 11 | 1.49 | ||||||||||
| 1929–30 | Montreal Maroons | NHL | 14 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 420 | 33 | 0 | 2.63 | ||||||||||
| 1930–31 | Windsor Bulldogs Windsor Bulldogs The Windsor Bulldogs are a defunct Canadian semi-professional and amateur senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and participated in the International Hockey League and the OHA Senior A Hockey League prior to the IHL.... |
IHL | 40 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 752 | 90 | 1 | 2.18 | ||||||||||
| NHA totals | 81 | 44 | 25 | 0 | 4542 | 232 | 4 | 3.06 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 120 | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
| NHL totals | 362 | 191 | 142 | 28 | 22357 | 858 | 58 | 2.30 | 28 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 1707 | 53 | 9 | 1.86 | ||||
| NHA/NHL totals | 443 | 235 | 167 | 28 | 26899 | 1090 | 62 | 2.43 | 40 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 1827 | 55 | 10 | 1.81 | ||||
Awards and achievements
- 1965 - Inducted into the Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
- 1966 - named all-star goalie for the time period 1893–1926 by NHL historian Charles Coleman
- 1966 - inducted into Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame
- 1998 - Ranked number 77 on The Hockey News list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.