Maybe it didn't have the shock value of a blind-side hit, but it had the same effect for Union College assistant coach Rick Bennett.
 
Bennett, a native of Springfield, Mass., was embarking on his first season at the ECACHL school, when like a bolt out of the blue, he got a call in the spring of 2005 from Providence College assistant coach Dave Berard -- the Director of Player Development and Select Coaching for USA Hockey's New England District.
 
"I didn't know much about USA Hockey," admitted Bennett. "But I knew David was instrumental in the program. A coach had to back out of helping with USA Hockey's Select 16 Player Development Camp. [Dartmouth's] Bobby Gaudet was the head coach and [UNH assistant] David Lessonde was an assistant and [Berard] needed somebody else.
 
"If the coach had not backed out, it might have happened a little bit later. But it happened quicker than is usually the case for people going through the USA Hockey ranks. I'm thankful for David's giving me the opportunity to do that. Those guys were great to work with and we had a great team."
 
Bennett's introduction to USA Hockey proved to be an indication of things to come. Last August, he was the head coach of Team USA Blue, which won the championship of the Under-17 Three Nations Tournament in Rochester, N.Y., over Team USA White. And that appointment also was a surprise.
 
"It happened unexpectedly with a European team dropping out," recalled Bennett, who was a Second Team All-American as a junior at Providence College and a Hobey Baker Award finalist as a senior. "I was coming off the ice one day and [USA Hockey's Director of Youth Hockey] Kevin McLaughlin asked if I wanted to coach one of the teams.

"They already had [New Hampshire Junior Monarchs coach] Sean Tremblay and [Yale goalie coach] Kyle Wallach. They were phenomenal."
 
In the end, Team Blue went 3-1-0 and captured the championship. Moreover, it provided Bennett the opportunity to serves as a head coach -- the one who delegates instead of following directions.
 
"I learned a lot by giving people responsibility and letting them run with it," said Bennett. "Sean ran the forwards and Kyle ran the defensemen, and I oversaw everything. What's funny is that Kyle had never worked with defense before. I said 'Guess what? You are now.' And he did a great job."
 
Besides the usual Xs and Os and drills, Bennett and his staff also treated the players in a more adult manner than is usually the case.
 
"We did a lot of team-building stuff," recalled Bennett. "We did more where players had to speak, and we treated them not as pros but older than 15- and 16-year-olds are normally treated. We decided to treat them that way because we felt they could handle it.
 
"There was total honesty throughout the coaching staff and players and it worked out."
 
Bennett was working as a player-assistant coach in the ECHL in the waning days of his pro career (initially he was a third-round draft pick of the Minnesota North Stars) -- one that saw him play 15 NHL games with the New York Rangers -- when he wound up making a career decision.
 
"I was at a crossroads between stepping down as a player [with the Pee Dee Pride] and doing basic sales in the front office," said Bennett. "Jack Capuano [who was the head coach of the 2005 U.S. Under-18 Select Team and currently is the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' assistant coach] was the head coach at the time and he pushed me in the direction of going to Providence when that opportunity came [an opportunity to become an assistant coach for Paul Pooley].
 
"My decision to move on wound up being pretty easy because I suffered a bad neck injury in one of my last games. I'm not saying I couldn't have come back, but the injury helped make the decision easier and I knew it was time to move on."
 
Bennett spent five seasons at Providence before accepting an offer from Nate Leaman, who is deeply involved with USA Hockey, to join his staff at Union. And, the more time he spends coaching, the more satisfaction he derives from what he's doing.
 
"First and foremost, being around hockey is the biggest thing," said Bennett. "Coaching can never replace playing, but that's one person's opinion. Being around guys and having a relationship and watching them grow over the course of four years are most rewarding."
 
In the process, Bennett has picked the minds of coaches with whom he's had contact.
 
"Obviously, one thing that I took away from [my time at Providence], from a good teacher like Paul Pooley [who's currently an assistant coach at Notre Dame] were Xs and Os," said Bennett. "I think he's one of the best in the country, and David Berard is very good at that, too.
 
"I've also taken stuff from Nate. Plus, watching the game and being a student of the game, some of the drills I've picked up are very good for that environment."

Story courtesy of USA Hockey and Red Line Editorial, Inc.