The former Gems defenseman watched, with his family by his side, as the Gems hoisted a banner in his honor and retired his No. 3 just prior to dropping the puck Saturday, Dec. 5, against the Fort Wayne Komets at Hara Arena.
Benoit, 76, closed out his hockey career with the Gems, playing from 1966 until his retirement in 1970. The Quebec native, who helped the Canadian Olympic team win a silver medal in 1960, tallied 24 goals and 103 assists with the Gems. He was inducted into the Dayton Hockey Hall of Fame in 1973.
While ownership issues have been the Gems’ focus over the past week, Benoit, whose pro career spanned two decades, doesn’t think front-office shake-ups have much impact.
“Nowadays, you can be here today and get your bus ticket tomorrow, so these guys just do their job,” he said.
The Gems got the job done on this night, beating Fort Wayne 3-0 in front of a crowd of 1,591.
Neither team could find the net for almost two full periods until Gems defenseman Nathan Oke scored on the power play with 34 seconds remaining on the clock to give the home team a 1-0 lead after two.
Jonathon Ornelas connected midway through the third to boost the Gems to a 2-0 lead, and Derek Parker added one a minute later as Dayton (10-8-3) won its third straight.
“We’re still young, not walking quite yet,” Gems coach John Marks said. “We’re teetering a little, hanging onto the coffee table, but we’re almost there.”
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