Benoit breaks through with Sens
Rangers fans who stayed up long enough to see the Ottawa Senators steal a double-overtime victory from the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals would have recognized a familiar face setting up the game winning goal.
Andre Benoit’s face hangs high in the rafters of the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, on a banner honouring him as the franchise’s all-time leading scoring among defencemen. A three-time winner of the Bob ‘Snowy’ Schlieman Award, given to the Rangers’ best offensive blueliner, Benoit racked up 299 points in five seasons in Kitchener, including eight in a single game in 2003, giving Andre a share of the OHL record for most points in a game by a defenceman. He was an integral part of the club’s 2003 Memorial Cup win, recording 14 points in the postseason that year en route to the Rangers’ second championship.
But the St. Albert, ON native went undrafted, relying instead on a three-year entry level deal he signed with the Montreal Canadiens in 2006 to break into the pro ranks. He found success with their American Hockey League affiliate in Hamilton, winning a Calder Cup with the Bulldogs in 2007, but never made his way up to the big club.
Unwilling to give up on his dream, Benoit followed hockey across the pond, playing in Sweden and Finland before earning another chance (and another Calder Cup) in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators in 2010-11. He even made his National Hockey League debut that season, appearing in eight games with the Senators’ parent club in Ottawa. But when the season game to a close, he was still searching for a permanent spot on a big league blueline.
After a locked out season spent in Russia playing in the Kontinental Hockey League, the determined rearguard finally got his chance.
At 29 years old (and after a great first half in Binghamton) he made the Sens roster when the shortened season began after Christmas, appearing in 33 of 48 games and scoring his first career NHL goal, and two more after that.
It took a long time, but he told CBC Sports it was worth the years of hard work and sacrifice to get his shot.
“You can never give up, you can never predict when an opportunity will be there… You have to prepare for it. That was my job, to put in the work and make sure I was ready if there was a chance to play.”
For his unfailing effort, he was recognized by the local branch of the Professional Hockey Writers Assocation as the Senators’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy, given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.
But for Benoit, the real reward is the opportunity to live the dream. Unwilling to just sit back and enjoy the ride, he’s already earned a pair of assists in three playoff games with Ottawa, a team that now shoulders the burden of being Canada’s team, the nation’s last chance to bring home Lord Stanley’s mug. A postseason rookie, he was front and centre Sunday when he set up Colin Greening for the game winner, reaping the benefits of years of tireless work and dragging his team back into the series with a much-needed win.
Game Four of the series is Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Place at 7:30 pm ET and will air nationwide on CBC . The Penguins currently hold a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven
