Clint Benedict
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| Position | Goaltender |
| Shot | Left |
| Pro clubs | Ottawa Senators Montreal Maroons |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | September 25, 1894, Ottawa, Ontario |
| Died | November 12, 1976 (aged 82), Ottawa, Ontario |
| Pro career | 1912 – 1930 |
| Hall of Fame, 1965 | |
Clinton Stevenson "Clint" Benedict (September 25, 1894 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada - November 12, 1976) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Maroons, including 13 seasons in the National Hockey League.
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[edit] Playing career
Mr. Benedict was one of the first great goalies in hockey along with Georges Vezina, and a great innovator in the sport. Mr. Benedict 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.
Benedict joined the Ottawa Senators of the NHA in the 1912-13 season and played 12 seasons for the club. He was the club's starting goaltender for 10 seasons, starting in the 1914-15 season. After winning four Stanley Cups with the Senators, he was traded to the Montreal Maroons after the 1923-24 season, making way for Alex Connell. In 1926, he would win 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.[1] Benedict would be out of action for six weeks. He returned on February 20, 1930 against the New York Americans wearing the mask. He would play with the mask on for five games, the last being on March 4, 1930 when he would get hit in the face during a goal-mouth scramble.[2] He had to leave the game due to blood coming from his nose. It would be his last game in the NHL. The next season he would play for the Windsor Bulldogs senior hockey team, the Maroons farm team, leading them to the IHL championship.
[edit] Awards & achievements
- 1965 - Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
- 1966 - named all-star goalie for the time period 1893-1926 by NHL historian Charles Coleman[3]
- 1966 - inducted into Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame[4]
- 1998 - Ranked number 77 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Clint Benedict's biography at Legends of Hockey
- Clint Benedict's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
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