| Round | Overall |
| 2 | 16 |
 |
 |
Left-hand shot
Pre-Draft Statistics
| Year | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM |
| 1967-68 | Brown | ECAC | 20 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 34 |
Pre-Draft Notes
Named to Ivy League All-Star Second Team with Brown University in 1967-68. ... Set Brown record for points by defenseman in a game with seven (all assists) vs. Penn on Feb. 17, 1968. ... Led Cranson East High to 29-1-1 record in 1965-66.
Career Vitals
| First contract: | 1970 |
| Debut: | March 30, 1971 (St. Louis vs. Los Angeles) |
| Final NHL game: | March 18, 1980 (Atlanta at N.Y. Islanders) |
| Retired: | 1982 |
| Stanley Cup: | Never won |
| Numbers worn: | 24, 19 (St. Louis); 20 (N.Y. Rangers); 5, 2 (Atlanta) |
Career NHL Statistics
Teams: St.
Louis, N.Y. Rangers, Atlanta
Years: 1971-1980. Playoffs: 1971-1977
| Regular Season | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 10 years | 580 | 152 | 182 | 334 | 347 |
| Stanley Cup Playoffs | |||||
| GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
| 5 years | 21 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 57 |
| Complete statistics available at NHL.com | |||||
Career Highlights
Named to ECAC All-Star Second Team with Brown University in 1968-69. ... Named MVP of 1969 ECAC Holiday Hockey Festival at Madison Square Garden. ... Set Brown University record for goals in one game by a defenseman with four vs. Dartmouth on March 7, 1970. ... Set Brown University single-season records for goals (26), assists (37), and points (63) by a defenseman in 1969-70. ... Named to NCAA East All-America First Team with Brown University in 1969-70. ... Named to ECAC All-Star First Team with Brown University in 1969-70. ... Holds Brown records for career goals (50), assists (85), and points (135) by a defenseman. ... Played 32 games for 1971-72 Denver team that won WHL regular-season title. ... On first Atlanta/Calgary Flames team in 1972-73, but did not join team until being traded there on Nov. 28, 1972. ... Represented Atlanta in 1975 and 1976 NHL All-Star Games. ... Played for Team USA squad that placed fifth in inaugural Canada Cup in 1976, recording three assists in five games. ... Played on USA squad that finished sixth in 1978 World Championships at Prague, scoring three goals in 10 games. ... Played on USA squad that finished seventh in 1979 World Championships at Austria. ... Inducted into Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1975.
Transaction History
June 7, 1972 -- Sent by St. Louis with Peter McDuffe to N.Y. Rangers to complete the May 24, 1972, deal in which New York traded Steve Durbano to St. Louis in exchange for future considerations. Nov. 28, 1972 -- Traded by N.Y. Rangers to Atlanta in exchange for Ron Harris. Dec. 12, 1977 -- Traded by Atlanta with Phil Myre and Barry Gibbs to St. Louis for Yves Belanger, Dick Redmond, Bob MacMillan and 1979 second-round pick (Mike Perovich). May 24, 1979 -- Traded by St. Louis to Atlanta for Bobby Simpson. June 13, 1979 -- Left unprotected by Atlanta for NHL Expansion Draft, but shifted onto protected list after teammate John Gould was claimed by Edmonton.
Significant Injuries
Missed part of 1976-77 season with back injury. ... Missed much of
1979-80 season with torn cartilage in knee, an injury that required
season-ending surgery in March 1980.
Note: Bennett was one of the first 10 former NHL players who filed a
class-action lawsuit against the NHL in November 2013 claiming that
the league did not do enough to protect players from the risk of
concussions during their careers.
Life Outside the NHL
Full Name: Curt
Alexander Bennett
Other Post-Draft Teams: Brown (ECAC); Kansas City (CHL); Denver (WHL); Birmingham (CHL); Furukawa (Japan)
Broadcasting Career: Worked
part-time as Atlanta sportscaster during playing days and also
served as national TV color commentator during the 1977
Stanley Cup playoffs.
Education: Attended Brown University
in Providence, where he was also captain of the tennis team in
1969-70. ... Graduated with a degree in Russian Studies and was nominated for a 1970 Rhodes Scholarship.
Japan Experience: Served as
Furukawa Denko (Japan) player-assistant coach in 1980-81 and
1981-82. While in Japan, he wrote extensively and taped video pieces
about his experience.
He had done similar reporting about a visit to Russia during the summer
of 1976
Career Beyond Hockey: Became a
commercial real estate broker in Atlanta, where he established his
own firm, Curt Bennett & Co. In 2000, he movd his business to
Hawaii, renaming it
Hawaiian
Waterfalls. The company specializes in the construction of
waterfalls on the island of Maui.
•
Bennett on LinkedIn |
Bennett on Twitter
Family: Son of former NHL goaltender Harvey Bennett,
who was playing for Providence (AHL) when Curt was born. ... Older brother of former NHL players Harvey Bennett Jr. and Bill Bennett. ... Older brother of former WHA player John Bennett and former minor-leaguer Jim Bennett.
Miscellaneous:
| Selected by New England Whalers in 1972 WHA Draft, the first WHA Draft, February 1972. | Played left wing and center in his NHL career despite having previously been a defenseman. | Scored six of his 18 goals for Atlanta during the 1972-73 season on breakaways. | Played primarily at center during his early seasons with the Atlanta Flames. |
| Earned a brown belt in karate, which made him one of NHL's most feared fighters of 1970s. | Had assist on last NHL goal vs. goalie who didn't wear mask (Andy Brown) on April 7, 1974. | Became first U.S.-trained player to score a goal in an NHL All-Star Game on Jan. 20, 1976. | Scored goal for Atlanta just 27 seconds into game vs. St. Louis on Jan. 14, 1977. |
| Scored Atlanta/Calgary franchise's first game-winner at Los Angeles on Feb. 17, 1977. | Worked with NHLPA to develop special programs helping players transition to life after hockey. | Served as assistant coach for Atlanta (IHL) during the 1992-93 season. | Led movement to bring NHL hockey back to Atlanta, which resulted in birth of the Thrashers. |
| SNAPSHOT '68 | |
| Total Selected: | 24 |
| Forwards: | 13 |
| Defense: | 8 |
| Goaltenders: | 3 |
| Major Junior: | 16 |
| College Players: | 4 |
| Canadian: | 22 |
| USA Citizens: | 2 |
| U.S.-Born: | 1 |
| European: | 0 |
| Reached NHL: | 10 |
| Won Stanley Cup: | 2 |
| Hall of Fame: | 0 |
| All-Star Game: | 2 |
| Year-end All-Star: | 0 |
| Olympians: | 0 |
| Picks Traded: | 1 |
| 1968 PICKS BY TEAM | ||
| Boston | Chicago | Detroit |
| Los Angeles | Minnesota | Montreal |
| New York | Oakland | Philadelphia |
| Pittsburgh | St. Louis | Toronto |
OTHERS DRAFTED IN 1968