Early Saturday morning, the Canadiens announced that their long-time goaltender and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden passed away Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer. Team owner Geoff Molson released the following statement:
Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man. 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.
Drafted by Boston back in 1964, he was traded to the Canadiens that same offseason. He spent three seasons at Cornell, posting a sterling 76-4-1 record before turning pro and entering Montreal’s farm system, a place he didn’t spend much time in before getting the call to the NHL.
Dryden was a crucial member of Montreal’s dynasty in the 1970s. He played in eight seasons with the Canadiens during that stretch, compiling a 2.24 GAA and a .922 SV% in 397 games, winning the Calder Trophy in 1972 along with five Vezina Trophies for the NHL’s best goaltender. In the playoffs, he was similarly dominant, helping lead Montreal to six Stanley Cup victories in that span. Dryden was also a key contributor in Canada’s victory over the Soviet Union in the 1972 Summit Series and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.
But hockey wasn’t Dryden’s only passion. He was in law school in the early part of his career and famously didn’t play in 1973-74 while articling at a Toronto law firm after the Canadiens wouldn’t rework his contract. Then, following the 1978-79 season, he decided to retire altogether at the age of 31.
Dryden got into broadcasting and wrote multiple books to stay involved in the game of hockey and then joined the Maple Leafs in 1997, serving as their team president through 2004. Toronto had a pair of Conference Final appearances during that stretch, a plateau they have not reached since.
Dryden then stepped away from hockey to serve in politics, becoming a Canadian Member of Parliament from 2004 through 2011. Soon after, he was awarded the Order of Canada for contributing to the sport of hockey and to public life.
We here at PHR join the hockey world in mourning Dryden’s passing and send our condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.