Robert Benson (ice hockey)
Robert John Benson (May 18, 1894 – September 7, 1965) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player. A defenceman, he started his career with the Winnipeg Falcons of the Manitoba Hockey League in 1913, remaining with them until 1920, though missed two seasons of play from 1917 to 1919 while serving in the First World War. With the Falcons he played at the 1920 Summer Olympics and won the first gold medal in Olympic ice hockey.[1] He later played in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1921 to 1926, as well as 8 games with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League during the 1924–25 season. Benson continued playing in other minor leagues until retiring in 1931.
| Robert Benson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Robert Benson at the 1920 Olympics | |||
| Born |
May 18, 1894 Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada | ||
| Died |
September 7, 1965 (aged 71) Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada | ||
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) | ||
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Calgary Tigers | ||
| National team |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Canada | ||
| Playing career | 1912–1932 | ||
|
Medal record | |||
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Playing career
Benson was born in Davidson, Saskatchewan, to Icelandic immigrants Benedikt Jóhannesson and Rósa Guðmundsdóttir.[2][3]
He was the younger brother of ice hockey player Connie Benson.
During the 1920–21 season, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president H. J. Sterling hired a detective who discovered that Benson and teammate Haldor Halderson received C$6,500 to play amateur hockey.[4] The Amateur Athletic Union of Canada voided Halderson's registration card and he was suspended from the 1921 Allan Cup playoffs, although the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association allowed him and his Saskatoon team to continue in the league playoffs.[5]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1912–13 | Winnipeg Strathconas | WSrHL | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1913–14 | Winnipeg Falcons | MHL | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 | Winnipeg Falcons | MHL | 8 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 1915–16 | Winnipeg Falcons | MHL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Winnipeg 223rd Battalion | MHL | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Winnipeg Falcons | MHL | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1919–20 | Winnipeg Falcons | Al-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 13 | ||
| 1920–21 | Saskatoon Crescents | SSHL | 16 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 39 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 1921–22 | Saskatoon Crescents | WCHL | 23 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 27 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 26 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | West-P | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1923–24 | Calgary Tigers | St-Cup | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1924–25 | Calgary Tigers | WCHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Saskatoon Crescents | WHL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Edmonton Eskimos | WHL | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1926–27 | Moose Jaw Warriors | PHL | 32 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 65 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | Winnipeg Maroons | AHA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1927–28 | Minneapolis Millers | AHA | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 23 | ||
| 1928–29 | Minneapolis Millers | AHA | 40 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 92 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1929–30 | Seattle Eskimos | PCHL | 36 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 82 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1930–31 | Seattle Eskimos | PCHL | 33 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 76 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| WCHL/WHL totals | 109 | 21 | 11 | 32 | 71 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
Awards and achievements
- Allan Cup Championship (1920)
- Olympic Gold Medalist (1920)
References
- "Robert Benson". Olympedia. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
- Memorable Manitobans: Robert John "Bobby" Benson (1894-1965)
- "Winnipeg Falcons - W.W. I Military Biographies". winnipegfalcons.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- Ching, Tim (March 19, 1921). "Dominion Association Extends Residence Rule From Three Months To Aug. 1". The Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. p. 25.
- "Saskatchewan Hockey Assn. Will Carry On". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. February 12, 1921. p. 20.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Robert Benson at Find a Grave
- Falcons