Mark Benning
{{short description|Canadian ice hockey player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox ice hockey biography
| name = Mark Benning
| image = Mark Benning, playing ice hockey at Harvard.png
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|4|19}}
| birth_place = Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| position = Defence
| shoots = Left
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 175
| played_for = EC Bad Nauheim
| career_start = 1987
| career_end = 1989
}}
Mark Benning (born April 19, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player {{Cite web |last=Boggie |first=Tom |title=BENNING’S BIG ENOUGH FOR HARVARD’S NEEDS |url=https://archive.thehockeynews.com/issue/610795/443793?t=Benning%E2%80%99s%20Big%20Enough%20For%20Harvard%E2%80%99s%20Needs |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=archive.thehockeynews.com}} and venture capitalist. He is currently serving as the Founder and Managing Partner of Excelsior.vc.{{Cite web |title=Mark Benning, Managing Partner, Sprout Fund, CEO of Founderly |url=https://www.discoverylab.ca/advisors.html |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=www.discoverylab.ca}} He founded and led Sprout Fund VC.{{Cite web |last=Journal |first=Calgary Tech |title=Sprout nets $2.5M investment from AEC |url=https://calgarytechjournal.com/p/sproutvc-alberta-enterprise-corp |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=Calgary Tech Journal |language=en}}
Biography
Benning was born in Edmonton as the son of NHL scout Elmer Benning for the Montreal Canadiens, and brother of former NHL players Jim Benning and Brian Benning, and uncle of Brian's current NHL-playing sons, Matthew Benning and Mike Benning.{{Cite web |title=Mark Benning {{!}} Sports {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1985/1/10/mark-benning-pthey-value-defense-in/ |access-date=2025-02-19 |website=www.thecrimson.com}} While studying at Harvard University, he was roommates with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/the-governor-gets-his-hands-dirty/article1264733/page2/
= Junior and NCAA =
Benning played for the St. Albert Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) junior team. He was recruited by the University of Notre Dame, Benning played for two years with the Fighting Irish and then transferred to Harvard University in 1984.{{cite web |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1985/1/10/mark-benning-pthey-value-defense-in/|title=Mark Benning |publisher=Harvard Crimson |accessdate=2014-03-22}} Benning graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics in 1987, and excelled with the Crimson. He was named a first-team All-American, an Academic All-American, All-Ivy League, All-ECAC and as of 2014 still held the record for career assists by a defenceman at Harvard with 102.{{cite web |url=http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mice/history/recordbook|title=Harvard Record Book |publisher=Go Crimson |accessdate=2014-03-22}} A three-year letter winner, Benning was also the 1987 Tudor Cup winner for most valuable player at Harvard and the 1987 Bingham Award winner for most valuable athlete in the Harvard senior class.{{cite web |url=https://www.harvardvarsityclub.org/article.html?aid=573|title=Harvard Hall of Fame |publisher=Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame |accessdate=2014-03-22}}
= West Germany =
After college, Benning played for EC Bad Nauheim in the West German Hockey League for two seasons before retiring from hockey in 1989.{{cite web |url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=23258|title=HockeyDB Mark Benning |publisher=HockeyDB |accessdate=2014-03-22}}
= Later career =
Awards and honors
He was inducted into the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.{{cite web |title=Harvard Hall of Fame Class of 2004 |url=https://www.harvardvarsityclub.org/article.html?aid=237 |accessdate=2014-03-22 |publisher=Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame}}
| class="wikitable"
! Award ! Year ! Ref |
| AHCA East Second-Team All-American
| 1985–86 |
| Academic All-America First Team
| 1985–86 |
| All-Ivy League First Team
| 1985–86, 1986–87 |
| All-ECAC Hockey Second Team
| 1985–86 |
| All-NCAA All-Tournament Team
| 1986 |
| AHCA East First-Team All-American
| 1986–87 | {{cite news|title=Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners|url=http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_icehockey_rb/2013/MIH%20awards%20for%202013.pdf|publisher=NCAA.org|accessdate=June 11, 2013}}{{cite web |title=1987 All-American Teams |url=https://www.ahcahockey.com/allamer/1987.php |website=American Hockey Coaches Association |access-date=January 13, 2024}} |
| Academic All-America Second Team
| 1986–87 |
| All-ECAC Hockey First Team
| 1986–87 |
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Ice hockey stats |hockeydb=23258}}
- [https://www.mbenning.com/ Benning's official website]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwMJAZmwTx8 Mark Benning from Sproutfund]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benning, Mark}}
Category:AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans
Category:Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Category:Harvard Crimson men's ice hockey players
Category:Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Category:Ice hockey people from Edmonton
Category:Stanford University alumni