Last season, Bennett and his wife Zoe started “Benny’s Buddies,” a program to help cover the adoption fees for the animals at the humane society. For every goal Bennett scores, he takes care of the adoption cost of an animal.
“My wife started volunteering here a few years ago when I first got traded here and then we ended up adopting a dog from here,” Bennett said. “There were so many amazing animals here. We wanted to do something to help get more animals get adopted and this idea just came to us. That’s how it all started, but it has exploded.’’
Bennett scored 40 goals last year, including 15 in the postseason en route to the Stanley Cup championship and the Conn Smythe Trophy given to the League’s MVP in the playoffs.
It’s Bennett’s second visit to the humane society this offseason. The 29-year-old took the Conn Smythe trophy to the shelter to visit with the animals.
As of Wednesday, 38 animals have been adopted through the “Benny’s Buddies” program. Bennett posed with two of the dogs in line to be adopted, named Piper and Kate, as well as two kittens and a few puppies.
“I didn’t think I would be able to have this opportunity until I found out a few weeks ago that I would have a few more hours with the Cup,” Bennet said. “I am excited to bring it here and just get more attention to the Humane Society and to hopefully get more people in here. That’s really the whole goal, to get more people to come here and look for pets. And however we can do it, I think bringing the Stanley Cup here is a great way to do that. We’re really thrilled to be able to do this today.’’
— NHL.com Independent Correspondent George Richards contributed to this report