When Sam Bennett failed to do a single pull-up at last year’s NHL Draft Combine, some questioned the forward’s dedication to the game.
Don Cherry says anyone who doubted Bennett was dead wrong and the Calgary Flames are lucky to have him.
“This guy played two weeks ago for the Kingston Frontenacs — I saw him play for the Marlies in the GTHL — have they got a winner [in] this guy,” Cherry said on Coach’s Corner Friday. “This guy’s just 18, he’s just coming out of junior.”
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Bennett impressed onlookers in his Stanley Cup playoffs debut Wednesday, picking up one assist, two penalty minutes, four shots and a plus-1 rating in 14:58 of ice-time as the Flames took Game 1 against the Vancouver Canucks 2-1.
“You guys that said he wasn’t dedicated, I’ll tell you one thing, boy, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Cherry isn’t the only one that showered Bennett with praise this week.
“This guy is unique,” Frontenacs general manager Doug Gilmour told Sportsnet’s Mark Spector Thursday. “He just has so much love for the game. He wants to be out there every shift. He wants to kill every penalty. You saw it (Wednesday) night: his compete level is off the charts. He wants to win, and he does a lot of things right.”