Gonzo Bennett accepted his induction into the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association in the Builder category last month. He grew up playing hockey on the ponds of Stoneville in his youth, but found he was better suited to making things happen off ice. From left are Gonzo Bennett and President of the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association Mike Kelly.
By Chad Feehan / Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Gonzo Bennet was inducted into the Mount Pearl Hockey Association Hall of Fame last month after spending 15 years building the sport behind the scenes.
Bennett began his journey as a coach in 2008 where he would spend eight years with house league and all-star teams. He would then go on to hold a list of executive positions within the association including both president and vice president of Mount Pearl Minor Hockey, co-chair of the inaugural Bantam Mega tournament, and inaugural president of the Don Johnson Hockey League, among a host of other roles.
Although he’s held many a role of influence, he maintains it’s never been about power and always about the children.
“Ultimately, that’s the goal, to make sure the kids are having a positive experience when it comes to the hockey rink,” Bennett said.
From the beginning, getting involved was a utilitarian move. Bennett could see where improvements could be made in minor hockey and decided to do something about it. Openness and transparency for parents was among his priorities. He also wanted to make sure teams were balanced, and that children across the board had an opportunity to succeed.
“Rather than sit in the stands and complain about things that I thought could be better, I decided to get involved and try to make a positive change,” he said.
For Bennett, it’s always been about respect: respect for players, parents and his fellow coaches.
Rather than big wins and trophies, Bennett said he is most proud of the impact he’s been able to make on his community after all these years.
“I felt that I was approachable in the rink so that any parent who had a concern could come to the association and feel their concerns were being addressed,” he said.
While being neck-deep in minor hockey, he also taught at Mount Pearl Senior High School where he retired in 2018. Teaching and coaching gave Bennett ample opportunity to make an impact on young hockey players.
“They do remember,” he said. “Treating kids fairly and with respect goes a long way to treating you with the same respect.”
Bennett got to watch many of the children grow up with the sport and follow promising careers in junior hockey, playing in such high profile tournaments as the Don Johnson Cup just this past weekend.
He said watching them grow up into not only good hockey players, but good people, is his main reward.
“I was less concerned with how we developed them as hockey players,” he said. “That was important, but I think it was just as important to develop them as human beings.”
Bennett acknowledges that very few players ever go on to pursue high profile careers in the sport, but that’s not the point. Creating players for life, no matter where they go on to play, is the goal.
“I always measure our success by how many kids are still playing hockey when they’re 35 years old,” he said. “That’s the true measure of success.”
