Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn is on the cusp of franchise history. Thanks to a goal against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, the 18-year veteran is one point shy of 1,000 career points, which would make him only the second skater behind Hall of Famer Mike Modano to achieve the feat in a Stars jersey.
Although Benn has never been a prolific scorer, the veteran is one of the last active players to skate without a visor and achieved something Modano never did: winning the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in 2014-15. That year, he collected a career-high 52 assists and beat John Tavares, then with the New York Islanders, by a single point to win the Stars' one-and-only league scoring title.
Could Jamie Benn become the first Art Ross winner left out of the Hall of Fame?
When the 37-year-old Benn decides to retire, he'll join a lengthy list of accomplished NHL veterans whose careers warrant Hall of Fame consideration but may ultimately fall short of induction. After 1,269 games, he's scored 417 goals and would need to reach 500 to boost his odds of landing a plaque in Toronto. Moreover, Benn has a chance of becoming the first Art Ross Trophy winner since the award was introduced in 1947-48, not to enter the Hall of Fame.
Currently, he is one of eight active NHLers to win the award, joining a list that includes Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Kane, and Alex Ovechkin. Outside of the eight active NHL players, Jaromir Jagr is the only Art Ross Trophy winner who has not been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His eligibility continues to get pushed back with every season of professional hockey he plays in Czechia. However, when discussing the resumes of all these superstars, it’s fair to say that each one of them will earn their spot at some point in the future.
Which brings us back to Benn, who is about to earn his 1,000th point and isn’t guaranteed a spot among the rest of the immortals in Toronto. That’s why, if he has the chance, reaching 500 goals would strengthen his case, and one more run at the Stanley Cup would also help. Although Benn has been the Stars' captain for 14 seasons, his resume still lacks the Stanley Cup championship that would further strengthen his Hall of Fame case, and the franchise is 1-3 in Western Conference Final appearances under his leadership.
Jamie Benn's No. 14 belongs in the rafters
While Benn's Hockey Hall of Fame credentials remain debatable, his place among the greatest players in Stars history is far less controversial. Currently, the organization has retired only six numbers in its history, celebrating the careers of Neal Broten (No. 7), Bill Goldsworthy (No. 8), Modano (No. 9), Bill Masterton (No. 19), Jere Lehtinen (No. 26), and Sergei Zubov (No. 56). Among the franchise's longest-serving players, Benn and Lehtinen stand out for spending their entire NHL careers with the organization. Masterton, meanwhile, played only 38 games before tragically dying at age 29.
Since Dallas established its own Stars Hall of Fame, the organization has celebrated several important figures from its championship history, including Derian Hatcher, Ed Belfour, Joe Nieuwendyk, and coach Ken Hitchcock.
Despite not leading Dallas to a championship, Benn is in a class of his own with a unique legacy. He’s the longest-serving captain the franchise has ever had. He’s soon to become the second player ever to score 1,000 points, and will become only the second player to dress in more than 1,300 games in a Stars sweater.
Modano may have set the bar high with all his achievements, but he didn’t win a single individual award as Benn did. At the moment, the current captain is among the few players to win an NHL award while representing the franchise, joining Nieuwendyk (Conn Smythe Trophy), Lehtinen (Frank J. Selke Trophy), Al MacAdam (Bill Masterton Trophy), Danny Grant and Billy Smith (Calder Trophy), Marty Turco (NHL Foundation Award), and goaltenders Ed Belfour and Roman Turek (William M. Jennings Trophy).
In the end, even if Benn doesn't score his 500th goal or hoist the Stanley Cup, his final destination will likely be a banner-raising ceremony at some point in the future. That's just one more reason to celebrate his next point. Few players in Stars history have accomplished what Benn has, and as his career approaches two decades, every passing game offers another opportunity to appreciate his contributions to the franchise.
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