Hockey Hall of Famer Ken Dryden passes away at 78
One of the greatest goaltenders in Montreal Canadiens history has passed away.
The Canadiens announced on Saturday morning that Ken Dryden has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 78.
“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens owner and president Geoff Molson said in a release. “Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties, but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen, and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations. He was one of the true legends that helped shape this Club into what it is today.
“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about, and his legacy within our society transcends our sport. On behalf of the Molson family and our entire organization, I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends, and all who had the privilege to cross his path and know him on a personal level.”
Dryden took the hockey world by storm in 1971, starting his career off with six straight victories. He’d go on to lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup, winning the Conn Smythe Trophy before he had even embarked on his rookie season.
The following year, Dryden would go on to win the Calder Trophy, helping to build what would be one of the most impressive trophy cases of any NHL goaltender. During his career in the 1970s, he’d go on to win the Stanley Cup six times, and even won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalkeeper five times. He’d retire in 1979 before earning a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
Dryden would go on to record a 258-57-74 record during the regular season, and also represented Canada at the 1969 World Championship and 1972 Summit Series, which Canada won. Dryden’s number 29 was retired by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, with his No. 1 getting honored by Cornell University three years later. In 2020, Dryden became a recipient of the Order of Hockey in Canada.
While his NHL career was brief, his impact off the ice wasn’t. Dryden went on to become the president of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1997, staying with the organization until 2004. From there, he’d go on to join the Liberal Party of Canada, where he was named to cabinet as the minister of social development. He’d remain in politics until 2011. Dryden is well known for his various books. None was more famous than The Game, a non-fiction book describing the pressure of being an NHL goaltender and what it took to lead the team during the 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs.