Clint Benedict
| Clint Benedict | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 1965 | |||
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| Born |
September 26, 1892 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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| Died | November 12, 1976 (aged 84) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Caught | Left | ||
| Played for |
Ottawa Senators Montreal Maroons |
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| Playing career | 1912–1931 | ||
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Benny" Benedict (September 26, 1892 – November 12, 1976) was a Canadian professional Lacrosse goalie, 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 played for the Ottawa Stars Lacrosse Club, winning the City Championship in 1911. He later played professionally with the Ottawa Capitals Lacrosse Club earning distinction for his tenacity under fire. This helped him immeasurably in his transition into professional hockey.
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. This earned him the nickname "Praying Benny." The first rule change the NHL made legalized his playing style.
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 Senators 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.
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