Introduction
Brian Anthony Benning (born June 10, 1966) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, and Florida Panthers. He is the younger brother of current Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning. He is also the father of Oilers defenceman Matt Benning.
Playing career
Benning was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 2nd round, 26th overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. He made his debut in the NHL during the 1984–1985 season with the Blues, playing in 4 games. Benning finally got the chance to have a full-time job in the NHL during the 1986–1987 season. That year he played in 78 games with the Blues and scored a career high 49 points. Benning then played 2 more full seasons with the Blues before being traded at the beginning of the 1989–1990 to the Los Angeles Kings. He played 3 seasons there before having brief stints with the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers.
Benning finished out his career with the Florida Panthers. He was on the original 1993–1994 Panthers team that surprised many by nearly making the playoffs. He retired after the 1994–1995 season.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1981–82 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1982–83 | St. Albert Saints | AJHL | 57 | 8 | 38 | 46 | 81 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1983–84 | Portland Winter Hawks | WHL | 38 | 6 | 41 | 47 | 108 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 17 | 3 | 18 | 21 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1984–85 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 60 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 13 | ||
| 1986–87 | Canadian National Team | Intl | 20 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 78 | 13 | 36 | 49 | 110 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 9 | ||
| 1987–88 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 77 | 8 | 29 | 37 | 107 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 25 | ||
| 1988–89 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 66 | 8 | 26 | 34 | 102 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | ||
| 1989–90 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 48 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 104 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1990–91 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 61 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 127 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Los Angeles Kings | NHL | 53 | 2 | 30 | 32 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 22 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 37 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1992–93 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 18 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 73 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 107 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 24 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 568 | 63 | 233 | 296 | 963 | 48 | 3 | 20 | 23 | 70 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Canada | WC | 4th | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Senior totals | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 1987 | |