The “Bennett Brothers Five” --- Rhode Island’s most famous pro hockey-playing siblings --- will attend the Rhode Island Reds Heritage Society’s seventh annual reunion at Goddard State Park in Warwick on Sunday, August 5.

For the first time as a complete group brothers Curt, John, Harvey Jr., Bill and Jim will represent their late father Harvey Bennett, the great former Reds goalie, at the heritage society’s yearly celebration of the team’s 51-year history (1926-1977).

Eldest sons Curt and John will be making their first reunion appearances. Curt will be flying in from his home in Hawaii and John from Florida. The three youngest brothers, all residents of Rhode Island, have attended previous Reds reunions and have been strong local supporters of the 655-member society.

“To have the entire Bennett family gather at our reunion is very exciting,” said Buster Clegg, president of the society. “Hockey history is our organization’s mission and to
have Rhode Island’s leading hockey family attend our function, as a group, is an honor.

“Only one other hockey family that I can think of --- the Sutters of Alberta Canada, with six pro brothers --- may be larger than our own five Bennett brothers who played in the pros.” 

Curt, now age 59, perhaps is the best known of all the Bennetts. After graduating from Brown University in 1970, he went on to play 12 seasons in the National Hockey League as a center with the St. Louis Blues, N. Y. Rangers and Atlanta Flames, scoring 152 goals and accumulating 182 assists for 33 points. He now is a real estate developer in Hawaii.

John (57), today a physician in Miami, Florida, graduated Brown in 1972 and played a full season in 1972-73 as a winger with Philadelphia Blazers in the then the fledgling World Hockey Association. 

A graduate of Boston College in 1973, Harvey Jr. (56), a center like brother Curt, went on to play seven pro seasons, five of which in the NHL with Pittsburgh, Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota and St. Louis. Today he owns a number of Wendy’s restaurants locally.

Brother Bill (54), who at 6’ 5” is the tallest of the five Bennetts, was a towering left-winger who spent eight seasons in the pros, parts of which he served with the Boston Bruins and Hartford Whalers. In 1978-79 he was among the AHL’s leading scorers with 33 goals. He today is manages two ice rinks in Cranston and owns his own sporting goods business.

Youngest of the five Bennett brothers is Jim (49), a 1976 college graduate, also of Brown. The Atlanta Flames drafted him in 1977 and he played a full season of pro hockey with Muskegon in the International Hockey League and Birmingham in the Central League. Extremely active within the Rhode Island community since, he now is president of the Mitkem Corporation, an environmental firm located in Warwick. 

As in the past, the Reds’ reunion August 5 at Goddard Park’s carousel building expects to draw a capacity crowd of three-hundred. Both members and non-members of the society are welcome to attend the festivities that will include an all-you-can-eat cookout, music from the 50s and 60s, and ceremonies honoring players in attendance. 

Cost for the event is $30 per adult, $15 for children ages 6-12, and no charge for kids under six. Deadline for reservations is set at July 14.

Further information about reservations and sponsorship opportunities will be available by calling the society’s office at 401-247-2666.

For further information call 401-247-2666 or e-mail UNH1959@aol.com.

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