With Bennett’s extension, ‘Benny’s Buddies’ is here to stay

SUNRISE, Fla. – Eight more years of sounding the goal horn and finding homes for pets.

Inking an eight-year contract extension with the Panthers on Friday, two-time Stanley Cup champion and 2025 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett won’t be going anywhere.

Neither will his charity, “Benny’s Buddies.”

“It's awesome,” Bennett said of being able to continue the program. “Honestly, that was one of the first things that me and my fiancée talked about, how we get to continue ‘Benny’s Buddies’ now. We had no idea how much this program would really explode and blow up. So many people have reached out that want to get involved, or they want to know how they can help donate. The more this program goes, the bigger it's going to get.”

Launched in October, “Benny’s Buddies” covers the adoption fee of pets at Humane Society of Broward County for every goal that Bennett scores throughout each season.

In addition to bringing Panthers fans to their feet when scoring goals, Bennett also wants to bring awareness to the benefits of animal adoption every time that he lights the lamp.

Bennett’s fiancée, Zoe, also volunteers her time at Humane Society of Broward County.

“I think just getting the awareness out there that adoption is, I think, the best route,” Bennett said in October during the launch of the program. “There’s so many dogs and cats that need homes and sometimes people are scared to adopt because they’re scared of the breed, or they’re scared of older dogs. There are so many amazing dogs and cats that are available here, and I think just letting people know that you can get an amazing pet from adopting, we have, and hopefully more people can follow suit.”

An incredibly successful season for both Bennett on the ice and “Benny’s Buddies” off the ice, the hard-nosed center’s 25 regular season goals and 15 playoff goals have already led to the adoption of 30 pets, with six more covered and ready to be adopted this summer.

Celebrating the Cup in style, Bennett and several others – including head coach Paul Maurice – wore “Benny’s Buddies” merch during the team’s championship parade.

While an eight-year extension will lead to lots of fans swinging by Pantherland to pick up No. 9 jerseys, Bennett plans to have “Benny’s Buddies” merch available in the near future.

“Obviously, a ton of people have been asking for merch,” Bennett said Saturday. “Hopefully by the start of the season in September we can launch some merch. We’re definitely in the process of figuring out how to do that. This program has been amazing.”

To learn more, follow Benny’s Buddies and visit Humane Society of Broward County.