Ed Benoit

Ed Benoit passed away suddenly due to a massive coronary episode in June of 2022. He was 56.

Benoit was one of those super volunteers that every organization, every tournament needs - a coach/referee/board member/do whatever you need kind of guy. The tourney has been christened the Ed Benoit Early Bird tournament in recognition of his service to the organization.

FYRA president Mike Walker - said changing the name of the tourney “felt very natural and was an easy change to make.

“He left an impact on many people in the ringette community, and remembering and honouring him was important to our board.” 

“It was definitely an honour,” said Ed’s daughter Maggie. “Mike Walker sent me an email asking if they could do something for my dad. They told me they had a surprise at the year end banquet. There was something on the stage with a cloth over it. They asked me to come up and they unveiled it and revealed they named the tournament after him. It was overwhelming, for sure.”

Maggie and her younger sister Laura, both played in this tournament in the past, “and when I wasn’t playing, I was in the tournament office…when volunteers didn’t show or they didn’t have someone, they would call me,” she said.

Maggie suffered a severe concussion in a practice when she was 16, so ended her career as a player.

But she got more involved as a volunteer. She coached fundamentals at the U7 level for seven years as well as head coaching in 2023-24.

“Her passion to coach is as strong as her father’s,” Walker said.

“It’s been fun so far,” she said. “The kids are great.They’re very keen. We had one girl ask if she could reschedule her birthday party so she could come to ringette practice.”

Maggie began playing ringette when she was five. Ed got involved while she was playing at the U10 level, and from then on, coached either Maggie or Laura, now 18.

“My dad and I were more like friends,” she said. “My dad was definitely everybody’s friend. You couldn’t walk by him without at least a small conversation. He loved to talk to everybody and anybody. He knew everybody. No matter where we went, he knew a half dozen people. And it was usually because of ringette. If you ask anybody, my dad was definitely the loudest person in the rink.”

 Special thank you to local journalist Bill Hunt for shining the spotlight on Ed Benoit and the integral roles he played with the Fredericton Ringette Association.