OLD BETHPAGE, New York — Bruce Bennett could have been to extra NHL video games than anybody in historical past, and the 69-year-old’s home gives glimpses into the profession that’s put him rinkside so many occasions over greater than 5 a long time.
Signed jerseys, sticks and images of Wayne Gretzky line the lounge partitions, many inscribed with notes thanking Bennett for his friendship and work. There’s a mannequin Stanley Cup. And a closet stuffed with digital camera lenses, wires and different gear.
Bennett has a lofted workplace over the lounge. A couple of of his pictures cling framed on its partitions. There’s a bookshelf stuffed with hockey and images books, in addition to a plastic rat that hit him on the top when the Florida Panthers have been celebrating their 2024 Stanley Cup Remaining win. On the underside shelf, there’s a shot of John Tavares’ first NHL purpose.
“What a shot!” the previous New York Islanders captain inscribed on the picture.
Scotty Bowman coached 2,141 NHL video games. Patrick Marleau performed 1,779. David Poile spent 3,075 video games as a normal supervisor, although executives don’t all the time attend each sport. Lou Lamoriello is closing in on that file with 2,868.
Bennett has photographed greater than 5,000.
“I may do a sport each different day by way of a complete season, however I’m too grasping,” Bennett says. “So if there’s 4 video games in 4 nights, chances are high I’m going to take all 4. Don’t need to go away something on the desk.”
As of July 2, when Bennett most lately up to date his statistics, he had been to five,240 NHL video games between the common season and playoffs. Of these, 44 have been Stanley Cup deciders. Should you embrace preseason, he’s been to 328 extra. Should you depend all hockey video games — worldwide, PHWL, junior, exhibitions, and many others. — he was as much as 6,142 over the summer time.
The Islanders offered him with a personalized No. 5000 jersey when he reached that mark. It’s framed proper above a shelf of toys for his grandchildren.
Now the director of hockey images at Getty Photos, Bennett was born in Brooklyn and grew up on Lengthy Island. When he was in elementary college, he borrowed his father’s Kodak Instamatic to snap photos on college subject journeys. “Horrible images,” he calls them, however they sparked a ardour.
He first shot a hockey sport as a 17- or 18-year-old at Madison Sq. Backyard. He didn’t have a press credential, so he took photos from the balcony. Across the identical time, he snuck into the Islanders picture field and shot the sport. He mailed a number of of his photos to the Hockey Information and requested in the event that they’d be fascinated about utilizing his work. The publication stated sure, which acquired Bennett a images credential and kicked off what has change into a legendary profession — one which has given Bennett a front-row seat to among the largest moments in hockey historical past.
Whether or not they realize it or not, sports activities followers’ lasting reminiscences of these seminal hockey moments are sometimes seen by way of Bennett’s lens.
How does he seize them, and what are those that imply essentially the most to him?
To offer a way of it, he walked The Athletic by way of 10 of his favourite images, his course of of making the photographs and why he values them.
Varlamov from above
Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov as seen from above in 2023.
To get a shot from above, Bennett has to stroll alongside the sector catwalk and connect a distant digital camera into the rafters. Then, whereas capturing a sport from ice-level, he presses a button on a distant that may set off the rafter digital camera to snap photos.
Strolling above the rink just isn’t for the faint of coronary heart, however don’t get fooled by the truth that Bennett does it. “I’m scared s—much less of heights,” he says.
Getty Photos likes its photographers to be artistic, and Bennett had the concept to set one digital camera above the web with a slower shutter velocity. That means, if a goalie was on prime of the puck throughout a net-front scramble, he’d seem nonetheless with a blur of motion throughout him. Bennett acquired his want with this picture of New York Islanders goalie Semyon Varlamov.
Yzerman within the field
Purple Wings Corridor of Famer Steve Yzerman leans on the boards in 1984.
The previous picture containers at Nassau Coliseum have been positioned proper between the penalty containers, which allowed Bennett to seize a photograph of the Detroit Purple Wings’ younger Steve Yzerman in 1984. It was a really perfect place in some ways: He was shut sufficient to odor the liniment on gamers’ pores and skin and listen to them trash discuss.
There have been drawbacks, too. Bennett acquired hit by loads of pucks flung by gamers attempting to get out of their defensive zone. These days he shoots from the nook of rinks, the place there are 4-by-5-inch holes for digital camera lenses.
Richter and Vanbiesbrouck’s shared jersey
Rangers goalies Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck pose collectively in 1991.
The Hockey Information assigned Bennett to take a photograph of New York Rangers goalies Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck, who shared the web within the early Nineties. Forward of the shoot, Bennett bought the largest Rangers jersey potential and minimize the again of it so each may squeeze into it. He remembers feeling bizarre destroying an costly jersey.
“I hope this works,” he thought to himself whereas making the minimize.
Thankfully, each goalies have been into the concept and fortunately posed for the picture. Afterward, Bennett didn’t know what to do with the jersey, so he had Richter and Vanbiesbrouck signal it. Now it’s in a body in his lounge, matted over a replica of the shot for which it was used.
Penguins ahead Patric Hornqvist and Devils goalie Cory Schneider watch the puck enter the web in 2017.
Bennett generally places a digital camera into the bottom of the web. He secures it inside a polycarbonate field, then can snap images remotely with the identical sort of clicker he makes use of for his rafter photographs. He likes this picture, which exhibits the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Patric Hornqvist scoring on Cory Schneider, as a result of you possibly can see the New Jersey Devils’ emblem on the puck, in addition to the symmetry of the gamers and the scoreboard displaying New Jersey was on the penalty kill.
“It’s such an important angle,” he says. “To me, it’s somewhat cliched at this level. … However once you get a very good one, it’s a very good one.”
Crosby’s golden purpose
Sidney Crosby celebrates an extra time purpose on Ryan Miller in 2010.
Earlier than the top of Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup-clinching video games, Bennett has to line up on the Zamboni nook, the place he’ll get let onto the ice for the postgame presentation. He hates it.
“Horrible,” he says. “You’re standing there and also you’re wanting on the scoreboard. You possibly can’t shoot.”
Bennett had a digital camera arrange within the rafters through the 2010 Olympic gold medal sport between the U.S. and Canada. Throughout extra time, he acquired on his knees so he may lookup on the scoreboard. As Crosby obtained a move from Jarome Iginla, Bennett held down his distant button, hoping the scoreboard monitor was synchronized with real-time motion. Fortunately for him, it was. He acquired the shot he was on the lookout for.
“It’s the second that Canada sighed (its) aid,” he says.
Gainey with the Cup
Bob Gainey lifts the Stanley Cup in 1979.
Bennett discovered himself in a predicament after the Montreal Canadiens beat the Rangers to win the 1979 Stanley Cup in 5 video games. He couldn’t discover his means onto the ice and didn’t know French, so he ran each methods across the rink attempting to determine the right way to get near the celebration. Finally, he gave up attempting to get on the ice and made his option to the stands. He stood on a chair and snapped images as greatest he may.
“A pair followers, as a substitute of clapping for his or her hometown, have been holding me up so I may take photos, which was very nice for the Anglophone, silly American,” he says.
He acquired fortunate with a photograph of Corridor of Famer Bob Gainey. It’s an emblem, Bennett says, of the glory of profitable the Stanley Cup.
Younger Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky stands within the Oilers locker room in 1979.
This picture of Wayne Gretzky is the duvet for the English version of Bennett’s e-book, “Hockey’s Best Pictures.” It’s from Gretzky’s remaining WHA sport with the Edmonton Oilers. Again then, photographers have been allowed within the locker room after video games, which is how Bennett acquired this shot.
“Highschool shoulder pads,” Bennett says. “Skinny, scrawny man.”
It was the primary well-known picture he took of Gretzky, who wrote the foreword to “Hockey’s Best Pictures.” Bennett took the lasting picture of Gretzky scoring his 77th purpose of the 1981-82 season, breaking Phil Esposito’s file. He doesn’t view that picture as something particular artistically, however it captured a second in historical past. A signed copy hangs in Bennett’s lounge.
Bennett’s relationship with Gretzky has spanned a long time now. Gretzky introduced him alongside because the official photographer of the Ninety 9 All Stars tour, which befell through the 1994-95 lockout, and Bennett shot Gretzky’s fantasy camps, too. That’s the supply of among the memorabilia on his wall.
Bossy’s burning stick
The Islanders’ Mike Bossy poses for a portrait in 1980.
Bennett staged this image for the Hockey Information within the locker room at Nassau Coliseum. Look carefully and also you’ll discover Bossy continues to be carrying a towel from the showers. To create the picture, Bennett put kerosene on the bottom of the stick after which lit it on hearth.
“We had a bucket of water there, however it will definitely wiped out the cotton after which dissipated by itself,” he says.
Bossy was a part of the Islanders four-peat from 1980 to ’83. That period of hockey got here at a very good time for Bennett.
“I feel it was a second that helped flip my profession a bit,” he says. “Not solely that you just had a dynasty rising on Lengthy Island, however the truth that I used to be good sufficient or ready sufficient to show off the fan change in my head and concentrate on the duty of doing the job.”
Potvin hits Lafleur
The Islanders’ Denis Potvin upends the Canadiens’ Man Lafleur within the early Eighties.
This picture of Denis Potvin hitting Man Lafleur is considered one of Bennett’s early-career favorites.
“It was one of many first greatest photographs that I had,” he says.
He says he would have thought-about utilizing it as the duvet picture for his e-book, had it labored horizontally. It’s just like a photograph he took within the 2024 playoffs of Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov hitting the Rangers’ Jonny Brodzinski and leaving him in the same place as Lafleur. However, he says, “Slight distinction in Corridor of Fame standing. No offense to Jonny.”
Martinez’s Cup-winning purpose
The Kings have a good time Alec Martinez’s Cup-winning purpose in 2014.
When Bennett lectures on sports activities images, he stresses the ability of capturing celebration and dejection in the identical body. That’s precisely what he acquired when Alec Martinez scored on Henrik Lundqvist to win the 2014 Stanley Cup Remaining.
“It’s gold,” Bennett says. “Lundqvist was a man who, his feelings, even with a masks and every thing, you might simply inform by physique language.”
The Kings celebrating so near him added to the influence of the picture, which he took with a distant digital camera positioned within the rafters.
“I’m on the brink of be pushed out on the ice, so I’m simply blindly holding that button,” he says.
Greater than two hours earlier than the Rangers sport Nov. 30 in opposition to Montreal, Bennett is crouched within the bowels of Madison Sq. Backyard, attaching his digital camera into place on the base of the sport internet. His plan is to shoot the 1 p.m. Rangers sport, then take a prepare to UBS Area to take images of Islanders-Buffalo Sabres within the night.
Bennett’s proximity to a number of groups within the New York space has all the time allowed him to shoot plenty of video games, and the eagerness that carried him as an 18-year-old doesn’t appear to be going wherever.
“It’s onerous to stroll away,” he says. “It’s like an expert athlete.”
Bennett begins his work days in his workplace wanting on the images Getty shooters took the night time earlier than. He’ll ship out emails, some complimentary, some constructive and a few sarcastic. He watches NHL Community and can obtain media notes for the following sport he’s capturing. He’ll word which gamers are developing on milestones so he’s ready to catch the massive moments.
Throughout hockey’s summer time hiatus, Bennett retains himself busy with … images. He enjoys occurring day journeys round Lengthy Island and capturing photos of wildlife. He has considered one of his favorites, an eagle in Centerpoint catching a fish, blown up and framed in his workplace.
Then, when the season begins up, he’s all the time able to go.
“The expression a golfer would say — one nice shot brings you again the following day — that’s how I really feel a couple of hockey sport,” he says. “Should you’re not there, you’re not getting it.”
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic. Pictures: Peter Baugh / The Athletic; Bruce Bennett / Getty Photos)
