The Spectacular Genius of Jim Benning: Technician of Culture

[NewAbaddon]

Why did the Bruins beat the Canucks? It wasn't the lame excuses constantly bandied around about injuries, or the refs, or Luongo, or the Sedins. It was culture. When something bad happened to the Bruins (the Rome hit), they rallied in Boston in a legendary way, obliterating and embarrassing their opponent through an emotional style of game buoyed by culture leaders like Recchi, Chara and Thomas. Guys like Rich Peverley and Andrew Ference played the best hockey of their careers for a reason. Total buy-in: the dream state of an NHL squad. Watch Behind the B to learn about winning; Bruins' training camps in those years were religious experiences. The levels of accountability and competitiveness broke all scientific measuring instruments.

Who was one of the architects of this NHL team that became a rarely-seen cultural phenomenon? Jim Benning, Director of Player Personnel and then Assistant General Manager. The day the Canucks signed Benning, the statue outside Rogers Arena should have already been begun to be constructed, for it will need to be a big one.

To follow Benning's genius-saturated first few years in Vancouver though requires a careful analysis. Benning knew the Vancouver market had no real experience of a true winner, a Stanley Cup champion. Moreover, certain segments of the NHL fan market were going through the largely media-orchestrated fad of analytics, a fad that he extracted its most valuable elements, but ultimately saw through (the failures of the "analytic" GM's would bear out his prognostications). If Benning tried to tell the Vancouver fans how he would build this champion, through a patient and methodical approach, really from the ground up off the scorched cultural earth left by the previous management, he knew they would rebel like petulant children being forced to eat their vegetables.

For this reason, the words Benning spoke to the fans aren't the best way to observe Benning's genius, for they are words spoken to losers from a winner, his name etched forever in the silvery glow of Lord Stanley's holy chalice.  

I could pour for hours over the individual acts of genius of Benning's reign, thankfully earning him an extension from even the most impatient of owners, likely due to a winner in business recognizing a winner in hockey management. Yet, on this sort of forum, these acts of genius are unable to be recognized until the final moment of awe. However, I do think the most foundational act of cultural genius of Benning is visible today even to those who have never experienced the awe of winning: his identification of the most valuable element of the Canucks, the Sedins. 

Atop years and years of losing, the Sedins stand out as true winners, even if Mike Gillis stole away in the night a championship from their legacy. Benning thus immediately identified with them, and realized the trajectory of the club should follow the personal trajectory of these two cultural superstars. I guess I have to spell this out: Benning gave the Sedins everything that would allow them to close out their careers in the incredible style they did. He gave them one last tour of the playoffs by miraculously assembling a playoff squad out of a stale core, through astute signings and trades. He brought in young players who would soak in like sponges the lessons from the Sedins. After almost a decade of draft futility, he revolutionized Vancouver's drafting so much that they would against all expectations, he drafted worthy successors to the Sedins in Boeser and Pettersson, enabling them to retire while knowing that they left the franchise in a better state than they came into it.

Thus, a legendary cultural moment was steadily crystallized over 4 years, whose effects will become more and more pronounced in the coming years. What analytics don't capture is the emotional side of the game, where motivation is perhaps the most valuable resource. Teams struggle with motivation every year: the motivation to win, to be a champion slowly disintegrates through all the bells and whistles of an 82-game schedule, and then the longer playoff run. That is what makes Sidney Crosby such a special player alongside his talent, his unstoppable motivation to be a champion which led to something unheard of in the modern era of hockey: back to back holy chalices. This is what makes players like Ryan O'Reilly lose the love of the game, when their motivation to win becomes confused by management who hasn't built a proper cultural foundation for their squad. Or consider the incredible motivation guiding the Vegas Golden Knights, with their season beginning under tragic circumstances: they still continue to find incredible motivation to win for their city and its loss, making their motley collection of players an unstoppable force. For the cultural foundation anchors that motivation to win. Some teams get lucky and acquire a player whose transcendental presence can anchor a cultural foundation largely by themselves, though of course additional cultural rebar always needs to be laid down.

The cultural foundation that Jim Benning architected through his glorification of the Sedins will stand for years, and the young talents he's added to this organization will sprout upon this foundation. As many around the league are saying, something special is going on in Vancouver. Sadly, this kind of longue durée of managerial excellence will never be properly recognized in an age of talking about hockey that instead grossly over-invests in such measures as shot attempts, asset management, AHL farm-team management, or silver-tongued self-representations of managerial genius from loser GM's. Sadly, the only way this market will ever be able to properly talk about hockey will be after the final moment of awe, Benning's final transmission: the Stanley Cup. Until then, enjoy our meaningless squabbles, while the architect labours!

[Crabcakes]

I don't think that you can overstate the importance of team culture.

 

Since the Sedins have retired, here's hoping that they've passed down the culture to enough players so that it will live on.  

 

As for genius, time will tell.  Thinking people understand that teams are more than just a collection of players and Benning is one such man.

[Noble 6]

I see you came over from hfboards. Nice. 

 

I agree with what you're saying, but it's way to early to start calling Benning a genius. He's been pretty good overall, but he's not at that level yet. 

[Solinar]

I'm watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, and have been watching all the series, just to get a good handle on the teams that made it.  And I can tell you one thing I've noticed, is that team speed, team skill, and the overall thought process of quickly touch passing and going to the dirty areas is definitely required, and the there are teams that are rolling 4 scoring lines, and 3 quality pairings along with a goaltender standing on their head.  It makes me kind of feel we may be further off than 3-4 years.  Benning may have gotten a few quality pieces, but we need more time, and a lot more talent before we can even dream of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.

[Rob_Zepp]

Mmmmm, culture.....

 

[King Heffy]

The Bruins were filled with a bunch of absolute scumbags.  There wasn't a single respectable player on that team and I fully expect Benning to realize that promoting such a classless culture won't be acceptable here.  If anything, Boston won in spite of a lot of guys with extreme character issues.

We'll  build our own identity, but the way Recchi, Thomas, Chara, Lucic, Ferrence, McQuaid, Marchand and Thornton play won't be emulated.

[Drakrami]

Such a religious post. Let's see where we are in 3 years.

 

There is so much character on stanley cup teams. We have none of that right now. The players we have been grooming Virtanen, Gaunce, Baertschi, Horvat (half right), Goldobin, Hutton are so characterless. It looks like they just show up for a job. 

 

The only exception looks like Stretcher and Horvat (half). Boeser I don't know yet.

 

Some times if you have so much skill, you dont need character, like Tampa Bay. But i dont see that at all with our group. 

[lmm]

1 hour ago, NewAbaddon said:

Why did the Bruins beat the Canucks? It wasn't the lame excuses constantly bandied around about injuries, or the refs, or Luongo, or the Sedins. It was culture. When something bad happened to the Bruins (the Rome hit), they rallied in Boston in a legendary way, obliterating and embarrassing their opponent through an emotional style of game buoyed by culture leaders like Recchi, Chara and Thomas. Guys like Rich Peverley and Andrew Ference played the best hockey of their careers for a reason. Total buy-in: the dream state of an NHL squad. Watch Behind the B to learn about winning; Bruins' training camps in those years were religious experiences. The levels of accountability and competitiveness broke all scientific measuring instruments.

Who was one of the architects of this NHL team that became a rarely-seen cultural phenomenon? Jim Benning, Director of Player Personnel and then Assistant General Manager. The day the Canucks signed Benning, the statue outside Rogers Arena should have already been begun to be constructed, for it will need to be a big one.

To follow Benning's genius-saturated first few years in Vancouver though requires a careful analysis. Benning knew the Vancouver market had no real experience of a true winner, a Stanley Cup champion. Moreover, certain segments of the NHL fan market were going through the largely media-orchestrated fad of analytics, a fad that he extracted its most valuable elements, but ultimately saw through (the failures of the "analytic" GM's would bear out his prognostications). If Benning tried to tell the Vancouver fans how he would build this champion, through a patient and methodical approach, really from the ground up off the scorched cultural earth left by the previous management, he knew they would rebel like petulant children being forced to eat their vegetables.

For this reason, the words Benning spoke to the fans aren't the best way to observe Benning's genius, for they are words spoken to losers from a winner, his name etched forever in the silvery glow of Lord Stanley's holy chalice.  

I could pour for hours over the individual acts of genius of Benning's reign, thankfully earning him an extension from even the most impatient of owners, likely due to a winner in business recognizing a winner in hockey management. Yet, on this sort of forum, these acts of genius are unable to be recognized until the final moment of awe. However, I do think the most foundational act of cultural genius of Benning is visible today even to those who have never experienced the awe of winning: his identification of the most valuable element of the Canucks, the Sedins. 

Atop years and years of losing, the Sedins stand out as true winners, even if Mike Gillis stole away in the night a championship from their legacy. Benning thus immediately identified with them, and realized the trajectory of the club should follow the personal trajectory of these two cultural superstars. I guess I have to spell this out: Benning gave the Sedins everything that would allow them to close out their careers in the incredible style they did. He gave them one last tour of the playoffs by miraculously assembling a playoff squad out of a stale core, through astute signings and trades. He brought in young players who would soak in like sponges the lessons from the Sedins. After almost a decade of draft futility, he revolutionized Vancouver's drafting so much that they would against all expectations, he drafted worthy successors to the Sedins in Boeser and Pettersson, enabling them to retire while knowing that they left the franchise in a better state than they came into it.

Thus, a legendary cultural moment was steadily crystallized over 4 years, whose effects will become more and more pronounced in the coming years. What analytics don't capture is the emotional side of the game, where motivation is perhaps the most valuable resource. Teams struggle with motivation every year: the motivation to win, to be a champion slowly disintegrates through all the bells and whistles of an 82-game schedule, and then the longer playoff run. That is what makes Sidney Crosby such a special player alongside his talent, his unstoppable motivation to be a champion which led to something unheard of in the modern era of hockey: back to back holy chalices. This is what makes players like Ryan O'Reilly lose the love of the game, when their motivation to win becomes confused by management who hasn't built a proper cultural foundation for their squad. Or consider the incredible motivation guiding the Vegas Golden Knights, with their season beginning under tragic circumstances: they still continue to find incredible motivation to win for their city and its loss, making their motley collection of players an unstoppable force. For the cultural foundation anchors that motivation to win. Some teams get lucky and acquire a player whose transcendental presence can anchor a cultural foundation largely by themselves, though of course additional cultural rebar always needs to be laid down.

The cultural foundation that Jim Benning architected through his glorification of the Sedins will stand for years, and the young talents he's added to this organization will sprout upon this foundation. As many around the league are saying, something special is going on in Vancouver. Sadly, this kind of longue durée of managerial excellence will never be properly recognized in an age of talking about hockey that instead grossly over-invests in such measures as shot attempts, asset management, AHL farm-team management, or silver-tongued self-representations of managerial genius from loser GM's. Sadly, the only way this market will ever be able to properly talk about hockey will be after the final moment of awe, Benning's final transmission: the Stanley Cup. Until then, enjoy our meaningless squabbles, while the architect labours!

I only 1/2 agree with you but gave you a trophy cause of the sheer poetry of that post!!

[xereau]

Looking forward to a grittier, north south, harder to play against culture.

[elvis15]

Nope, culture didn't do it for the Bruins. The Bruins had had it easy by playing the bully all year and getting away with it, and that was the source of their confidence. We just couldn't respond on the scoreboard as we had significant players already out or playing injured before the series, and also lost some players during the series (most notably Hamhuis) due to injury or who played through new injuries. Had we been mostly healthy like the Bruins we would have won at least one more game.

 

If you want to make an argument for durable, maybe, but it wasn't about a positive culture in Boston. Here? Here it is since we don't have the superstars that go with a winning team yet.

[Crabcakes]

24 minutes ago, Drakrami said:

Such a religious post. Let's see where we are in 3 years.

 

There is so much character on stanley cup teams. We have none of that right now. The players we have been grooming Virtanen, Gaunce, Baertschi, Horvat (half right), Goldobin, Hutton are so characterless. It looks like they just show up for a job. 

 

The only exception looks like Stretcher and Horvat (half). Boeser I don't know yet.

 

Some times if you have so much skill, you dont need character, like Tampa Bay. But i dont see that at all with our group. 

Final 10 games 6-2-2 counts for something.

 

FWIW, you could call him stretcher because he has embellished his height from 5'9" to 5'10"   Not a tall man

[coastal.view]

41 minutes ago, King Heffy said:

The Bruins were filled with a bunch of absolute scumbags.  There wasn't a single respectable player on that team and I fully expect Benning to realize that promoting such a classless culture won't be acceptable here.  If anything, Boston won in spite of a lot of guys with extreme character issues.

We'll  build our own identity, but the way Recchi, Thomas, Chara, Lucic, Ferrence, McQuaid, Marchand and Thornton play won't be emulated.

you realize of course

that the canucks were viewed in a very similar light

everywhere else

but in vancouver

 

let's not get too self righteous here

 

[Crabcakes]

3 minutes ago, coastal.view said:

you realize of course

that the canucks were viewed in a very similar light

everywhere else

but in vancouver

 

let's not get too self righteous here

 

but, but, but.....we traded Kesler....

[Darius]

Dont 100% agree, but very well thought out, and excellent expression of thought.  I agree about the analytics (too much condescending lack of human element smarmy army spreadsheet crunching), and there is a segment of the fanbase that wont realize whats going on here until they are a great team again.

[luckylager]

Thanks for that, OP. Nice read.

 

If Benning was behind the true $&!#head culture in Boston I'd be a little disappointed. He doesn't seem to be building around a few a**holes and cheapskate losers in Vancouver, hence your Sedin foundation analogy bailing you out...

 

I still enjoyed your take. Thanks for the read

[Guest]

2 hours ago, NewAbaddon said:

When something bad happened to the Bruins (the Rome hit), they rallied in Boston in a legendary way, obliterating and embarrassing their opponent through an emotional style of game buoyed by culture leaders like Recchi, Chara and Thomas. 

You know it was a 7 game series right?  Obliterating and embarrassing is what happens when you get swept in a series.

[Jam126]

12 minutes ago, VancouverHabitant said:

You know it was a 7 game series right?  Obliterating and embarrassing is what happens when you get swept in a series.

8-1, 4-0, 5-2, 4-0. I don't care how many games the series is, if Luongo didn't stand on his head in games 1 and 5 it would have been a shorter series. They got embarrassed and you know it.

[Jam126]

1 hour ago, Solinar said:

I'm watching the Stanley Cup playoffs, and have been watching all the series, just to get a good handle on the teams that made it.  And I can tell you one thing I've noticed, is that team speed, team skill, and the overall thought process of quickly touch passing and going to the dirty areas is definitely required, and the there are teams that are rolling 4 scoring lines, and 3 quality pairings along with a goaltender standing on their head.  It makes me kind of feel we may be further off than 3-4 years.  Benning may have gotten a few quality pieces, but we need more time, and a lot more talent before we can even dream of hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would like to have a word with you.

[Rush17]

+15 if I could

[ktcy2]

I have a feeling it had nothing to do with any thing. The reason we lost was pure bad luck, either team could've taken that series, it was 50/50. Based on one series with the bruins, we then decided to totally dismantle the team that we had by not resigning key performers like ehrhoff and Torres. IMO we could've had a few years to challenge the cup but we went to a different direction based on the loss to the bruins and that team went downhill. It was clear we were the best team in the league during that span. Bruins didn't beat us, they just lucked out and Canucks never had any luck ever.

 

Let's not overanalyze, look at the knights, does anyone of you think they really had a "vision" and built a team based on that vision and grooming young players? No, they didn't even had a team until a year ago and now they have a chance for the cup. The so called top coaches, GM who had been building and building for years couldn't figure it out. But an expansion team is already way ahead? What's the reason? At this point you gotta think if the so called team management is really overrated. 

 

The knights performance this year had led me to believe that creating a good team some times is purely by chance and fluke.