from Ian MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun,

“I would say he was careful with his words,” Benning’s younger brother, Brian, said Wednesday from home in Edmonton. “I was a little more talkative. But it’s time to step out and lead, right? He’ll have no problems doing that.

“Go back the last three years and he has had numerous interviews (to be a general manager). He was going to wait until the time was right. I played in the U.S. and live in Edmonton now, and I recognize the significance of hockey in Canada. I’m glad he’s going to a great hockey town. I think it’s a great opportunity. The thing we’re most proud of is he has put the time in. He knows the draft, knows the importance of it. He knows everybody.”

Canuck president of hockey operations Trevor Linden said when he started six weeks ago that a paramount trait of his general manager would be a proven ability to evaluate players and identify talent. No wonder Benning’s name was mentioned from the beginning as the top candidate in Vancouver.

He is a scouting rink rat, a guy so addicted to assessing and projecting players that even in management Benning continued to attend many junior and college games.

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