Hockey fans across Canada woke up to heartbreaking news on Saturday morning. Ken Dryden, the towering goaltender who became a symbol of excellence both on and off the ice, passed away peacefully on Friday after his brave fight with cancer. He was 78 years old.
But here’s the thing about Ken Dryden – calling him just a hockey player would be like calling Wayne Gretzky just pretty good at skating. The man was a walking, talking example of what it means to be Canadian. And his story? Well, it’s got more twists than a hockey puck bouncing off the boards.
The Kid Who Chose School Over Hockey (And Made It Work)
Instead of jumping straight into pro hockey, Ken Dryden headed to Cornell University. While other future NHL stars were working hardg it out in junior leagues, he was hitting the books and earning a history degree. Talk about playing the long game.
At Cornell, Ken Dryden wasn’t just warming the bench either. He led the Big Red to the 1967 NCAA championship and won 76 out of 81 games. That’s like acing almost every test you take – except these tests involved hard rubber pucks coming at you at high speed.
When Ken Dryden Finally Showed Up, He Made His Mark
March 14, 1971. Remember that date, because that’s when he finally decided to grace the NHL with his presence. The Montreal Canadiens were probably thinking, “Great, here’s our college boy. Hope he doesn’t faint when things get rough.”
Well, He had other plans.
He played exactly six regular-season games that year. Six! Most people need more than six tries just to parallel park properly. But come playoff time, this rookie – and we’re talking about a guy who was still basically new to professional hockey – stole the starting job from veteran Rogie Vachon.
What happened next? Ken Dryden led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup and walked away with the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. That’s exactly what he accomplished in his rookie season.
The Year He Said “Nope” to Hockey
Here’s where Ken Dryden’s story gets really interesting. After winning the Stanley Cup and basically conquering hockey, he decided he wasn’t being paid enough. The Canadiens offered him a contract, and Ken Dryden looked at it and thought, “You know what? I’ll just go be a lawyer instead.”
So he did. For the entire 1973-74 season, while his teammates were battling on the ice, Ken Dryden was sitting in a Toronto law office making $135 a week. That’s probably less than what some players spend on coffee these days.
The Canadiens? They missed the playoffs that year. Coincidence? Probably not.
The Dynasty Years
When Ken Dryden came back from his lawyer year, he was ready to make up for lost time. Between 1976 and 1979, the Canadiens won four straight Stanley Cups. Four. In. A. Row.
Ken Dryden was the backbone of what many people call the greatest hockey team ever assembled. We’re talking about a squad that included Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, and Serge Savard – basically the Avengers of hockey. And Ken Dryden was their shield.
During this stretch, Ken Dryden won the Vezina Trophy (awarded to the league’s best goaltender) four consecutive times. He finished his career with five Vezinas total, which puts him in some pretty exclusive company.
More Than Just a Pretty Save
What made Ken Dryden special wasn’t just his ability to stop pucks. The guy was 6-foot-4 at a time when most goalies were built like regular-sized humans. He had this signature pose where he’d rest his chin on his hands, which were folded over his stick. It became one of the most recognizable images in hockey.
Ken Dryden once wrote about his experience in the goal: “When a game gets close to me, or threatens to get close, my conscious mind goes blank. I feel nothing, I hear nothing, my eyes watch the puck, my body moves — like a goalie moves, like I move.”
That’s not just athletic ability talking – that’s someone who understood the mental game at a level most people never reach.
Summit Series Hero
In 1972, Ken Dryden was part of something bigger than hockey. The Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union wasn’t just about sport – it was East versus West, democracy versus communism, played out on ice rinks.
Ken Dryden shared goaltending duties with Tony Esposito during that historic eight-game series. When Canada needed him most, he was there. The series came down to the final game, and Canada won 6-5. Ken Dryden helped his country prove something to the world.
Years later, Ken Dryden would write a book about the experience called “The Series: What I Remember, What it Felt Like, What it Feels Like Now.” Because of course he did – the man never did anything halfway.
Life After the Mask
Here’s what’s really remarkable about Ken Dryden: he retired at 31, right at the peak of his powers. Most athletes hang on until they can barely walk to the rink. Ken Dryden looked at his six Stanley Cups, his perfect record, and his five Vezina Trophies and said, “I think I’ll try something else now.”
Ken Dryden became a broadcaster, calling games alongside Al Michaels. He wrote several books, including “The Game,” which is considered one of the finest sports books ever written. He taught at universities across Canada. He served as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1997 to 2004.
But wait, there’s more. Ken Dryden entered politics and became a Liberal Member of Parliament. He served as Minister of Social Development under Prime Minister Paul Martin. The guy went from stopping pucks to helping shape national policy.
Recognition and Legacy
In 1983, Ken Dryden was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2007, the Montreal Canadiens retired his number 29. In 2012, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In 2017, the NHL included him among the 100 Greatest Players in league history.
But the numbers tell only part of Ken Dryden’s story. In 397 regular-season games, he posted a 258-57-74 record with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. In the playoffs, he was even better: 80-32 with 10 shutouts.
Those aren’t just statistics – they’re the foundation of a dynasty.
What Everyone’s Saying
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called Ken Dryden “a Canadian hockey legend and hall of famer, public servant and inspiration.” He added, “Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country.”
Montreal Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said, “Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man. Behind the mask he was larger than life.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman noted how Ken Dryden made “an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending position” from the moment he arrived in 1971.
The Final Word
Ken Dryden’s family has asked for privacy during this difficult time, but they’ve suggested that those wanting to honor his memory can make donations to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre or the Concussion Legacy Foundation.
The truth is, Ken Dryden’s life was about more than hockey, though his hockey achievements alone would’ve been enough for any normal person. He showed that you could be the best in the world at something and still have room to be excellent at other things too.
Canada has lost one of its true Renaissance men. Ken Dryden proved that with enough determination, intelligence, and character, you don’t have to choose between being great at sports or great at life – you can be both.
He’s survived by his wife Lynda and their two children, four grandchildren, and millions of hockey fans who will never forget watching him lean on that stick, calm as anything, while chaos swirled around his net.
Ken Dryden didn’t just win games – he won at life. And that’s a legacy that’ll last a lot longer than any championship banner.
