OLD BESPAGE, N.Y. — Bruce Bennett may have watched more NHL games than anyone in history, and the home of the 69-year-old offers a glimpse into his career. On the sidelines many times over 50 years.
The living room walls are lined with signed jerseys, clubs and photos of Wayne Gretzky, many of which are engraved with notes thanking Bennett for his friendship and work. There is a Stanley Cup model. There’s also a closet full of camera lenses, wires and other equipment.
Bennett has a loft office above the living room. There are several pictures of him hanging on the wall. The shelves are filled with hockey and photography books, and a plastic rat hit the Florida Panthers in the head as they celebrated their 2024 Stanley Cup Final victory. The bottom shelf has a photo of John Tavares’ first NHL goal.
“What a shot!” said the former New York Islanders captain’s name engraved on the photo.
Scotty Bowman has coached 2,141 NHL games. Patrick Marleau played 1,779 games. David Poile played in 3,075 games as general manager, but executives didn’t always attend every game. Lou Lamoriello is closing in on that record with 2,868.
Bennett took over 5,000 photos.
“I could have played every other day the whole season, but I was too greedy,” Bennett said. “So, if there are four games in four nights, I’ll probably play all four games. Don’t want to leave anything on the table.
As of July 2, Bennett’s most recent update to his statistics, he had played in 5,240 NHL games between the regular season and playoffs. Of those, 44 were Stanley Cup deciders. If you include preseason games, he has played in 328 games. If you count all hockey games — internationals, PHWL, youth games, exhibition games, etc. — he has 6,142 appearances over the summer.
When he reached that goal, the Islanders presented him with a custom No. 5000 jersey. It sits above his grandchildren’s toy shelf.
Bennett, who was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, is the director of hockey photography at Getty Images. When he was in elementary school, he borrowed his father’s Kodak Instamatic to take photos on school field trips. He called the photos “terrible pictures,” but they inspired enthusiasm.
He played his first hockey game at Madison Square Garden when he was 17 or 18 years old. He didn’t have a press pass, so he took pictures from the balcony. Around the same time, he snuck into the Islanders’ photo box to film the game. He mailed some of his photos to The Hockey News and asked if they would be interested in using his work. The publication obliged, which led to Bennett’s photography credentials and the beginning of a storied career that gave Bennett a front-row seat to some of the biggest moments in hockey history.
Whether sports fans know it or not, their lasting memories of those seminal hockey moments are often seen through Bennett’s lens.
How does he capture them, and what is most important to him?
To give people a feeling, he went Competitor Through his 10 favorite photos, his process for creating them and why he values them.
Varlamov from above
Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov as seen from above in 2023.
To shoot from above, Bennett had to walk along the aisles of the arena and mount the far-end camera in the rafters. Then, while he’s on the ice filming the game, he presses a button on the remote that triggers the rafter camera to snap a photo.
Walking around the rink is not for the faint of heart, but don’t let the fact that Bennett does it fool you. “What I’m afraid of is heights,” he said.
Getty Images likes photographers to get creative, and Bennett came up with the idea of having a camera with a slower shutter speed above the web. This way, if a goaltender stands over the puck during a scramble at the net, he will appear stationary while the action around him is blurred. Bennett got his wish with this photo of New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
Yzerman in the box
In 1984, Red Wings Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman leaned against the board.
The old photo box at Nassau Coliseum, located between the penalty boxes, allowed Bennett to snap a photo of Detroit Red Wings youngster Steve Yzerman in 1984. It was an ideal position: he was close enough to smell it.
There are also disadvantages. Bennett was hit by a ton of pucks thrown by players trying to get out of the defensive zone. Today, he shoots in the corner of the rink, where there are 4-by-5-inch holes for mounting camera lenses.
Richter and Vanbiesbrouck share jersey
Rangers goalkeepers Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck pictured in 1991.
The Hockey News assigned Bennett to take a photo of New York Rangers goalies Mike Richter and John Vanbiesbrouck, who shared the net in the early 1990s. Before the shoot, Bennett bought the largest Rangers jersey possible and cut the back of it so both men could squeeze into it. He remembers feeling weird destroying an expensive jersey.
“I hope this works,” he thought to himself as he edited.
Luckily, both goalkeepers agreed with the idea and happily posed for a photo together. Later, Bennett didn’t know what to do with the jersey, so he had Richter and Vanbiesbrouck sign it. It now sits in a frame in his living room, draped over a copy of the footage it was used for.
Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist and Devils goaltender Corey Schneider watch as the puck hits the net in 2017.
Bennett would sometimes put the camera into the bottom of the net. He secured it inside a polycarbonate box and was able to take photos using the far end of the same type of clicker he used to take photos of the rafters. He likes this photo of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Patric Hornqvist scoring on Corey Schneider because you can see the New Jersey Devils logo on the puck, as well as the symmetry of the players and scoreboard, showing New Jersey is killing the penalty kill.
“It’s a great angle,” he said. “To me, it’s a little cliche at this point. … But when you get a good thing, it’s a good thing.
Crosby’s golden ball
Sidney Crosby celebrates Ryan Miller’s goal in overtime in 2010.
Before the Olympic gold medal and Stanley Cup finals were over, Bennett had to line up at Zamboni Point, where he would be taken to the ice for his postgame speech. He hates it.
“It’s terrible,” he said. “You stand there and look at the scoreboard. You can’t shoot.
During the 2010 Olympic gold medal game between the United States and Canada, Bennett had cameras set up in the rafters. During overtime, he knelt down so he could look up at the scoreboard. When Crosby caught a pass from Jarome Iginla, Bennett held down the far end button, hoping the scoreboard monitor would sync with the immediate action. Thankfully, it does. He got the opportunity he was looking for.
“This is a moment of relief for Canada,” he said.
Gainey and trophy
In 1979, Bob Gainey hoisted the Stanley Cup.
In 1979, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Rangers in five games to win the Stanley Cup, and Bennett found himself in a tough spot. He couldn’t find his way to the rink and didn’t understand French, so he ran back and forth around the rink trying to figure out how to get close to the celebration. Eventually, he gave up trying to get on the ice and headed to the stands. He stood on the chair and tried his best to take pictures.
“Instead of clapping for their hometown, a few fans picked me up so I could take a picture, which was really nice for English-speaking, stupid Americans,” he said.
He was lucky enough to get a photo of Hall of Famer Bob Gainey. Bennett said it’s a symbol of the glory of winning the Stanley Cup.
Young Gretzky
In 1979, Wayne Gretzky stood in the Oilers locker room.
This photo of Wayne Gretzky is on the cover of the English edition of Bennett’s book “Hockey’s Greatest Photos.” This was Gretzky’s final WHA game with the Edmonton Oilers. At the time, photographers were allowed into the locker room after the game, which is how Bennett took the photo.
“High school shoulder pads,” Bennett said. “Skinny, scrawny guy.”
It was the first famous photo he took of Gretzky, who wrote the foreword to “Hockey’s Greatest Photos.” Bennett left a lasting image of Gretzky scoring his 77th goal in the 1981-82 season, breaking Phil Esposito’s record. He didn’t think the photo had any particular artistic significance, but it captured a moment in history. A signed copy hangs in Bennett’s living room.
Bennett and Gretzky’s relationship has spanned decades. Gretzky brought him on as the official photographer for the Ninety-Nine All-Star Tour, which took place during the 1994-95 lockout, and Bennett also photographed Gretzky’s Fantasy Camp. That’s where some of the memorabilia on his walls come from.
Bossy’s Burning Stick
Islanders player Mike Bossy poses for a photo in 1980.
Bennett took this photo for The Hockey News in the Nassau Coliseum locker room. Look closely and you’ll see that Bosie is still wearing a towel from the shower. To create this image, Bennett placed kerosene on the base of a stick and lit it on fire.
“We put a bucket of water in there, but it ended up burning the cotton and then dissipated on its own,” he said.
Bossy was a member of the Islanders’ four-straight championship teams from 1980-83. That era of hockey came at the right time for Bennett.
“I think that moment helped make some changes in my career,” he said. “Not just because you built a dynasty on Long Island, but the fact that I was smart enough or capable of turning off the fan switch in my head and focusing on the task of getting the job done.”
Potwin hits LaFleur
In the early 1980s, the Islanders’ Denis Potvin upended the Canadiens’ Guy Lafleur.
This photo of Denis Potvin hitting Guy Lafleur is one of Bennett’s favorite photos from early in his career.
“It was one of the first and best shots I ever got,” he said.
He said that if it were landscape orientation, he would consider using it as a cover photo for his book. It’s similar to one of his snaps from the 2024 playoffs, where Carolina’s Dmitry Orlov hit the Rangers’ Jonny Brozinski, putting him in the Similar location to LaFleur. But, he said, “Hall of Fame status is a little different. No offense to Jonny.
Martinez’s winning goal
The Kings celebrate Alec Martinez’s 2014 Cup-winning goal.
When Bennett teaches sports photography, he emphasizes the power of capturing celebration and frustration in the same frame. That’s exactly what happened when Alec Martinez scored on Henrik Lundqvist’s game-winning goal in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.
“This is gold,” Bennett said. “Lundqvist is a person who, even with the mask and everything, you can tell his emotions through his body language.”
The fact that the Kings were celebrating so close to him added to the impact of the photo, which he captured with a far-end camera mounted in the rafters.
“I was getting ready to get pushed onto the ice, so I just blindly held that button,” he said.
With more than two hours to go before the Rangers’ game against Montreal on Nov. 30, Bennett crouched deep in Madison Square Garden, fixing his camera to the bottom of the game net. His plan was to shoot the 1pm Rangers game, then take the train to UBS Arena to shoot the Islanders-Buffalo Sabers game in the evening.
Bennett’s proximity to multiple teams in the New York area allowed him to film a large number of games, and the enthusiasm he had as an 18-year-old doesn’t seem to have faded away.
“It’s hard to leave,” he said. “It’s like being a professional athlete.”
Bennett started working in his office, looking at Getty photos taken the night before the shooting. He would send emails, some complimentary, some constructive, some sarcastic. He watches NHL Network and downloads media notes for the next game he wants to film. He takes note of which players are approaching milestones so he can be ready to capture the big moments.
During hockey’s summer offseason, Bennett has been busy with… photography. He enjoys day trips to Long Island and taking photos of wildlife. He had one of his favorite pieces, an eagle catching fish at a central point, blown up and installed in his office.
Then, when the season started, he was always ready to play.
“What golfers say – a great shot brings you back the next day – that’s how I feel about the game of hockey,” he said. “If you’re not there, you’re not going to get it.”
(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb/The Athletic. Photos: Peter Baugh/The Athletic; Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
