Ken Dryden: Six Cups, Countless Memories

Today, we all lost one of the greatest Montreal Canadien and NHL fans. We are mourning the loss of Ken Dryden. He is one of the great Montreal Canadien legends, known for being one of the best Canadian goaltenders ever.  

Outside of hockey, Ken Dryden was most well-known for his integrity. He was known as a man who stood behind his values. He will be missed not only by Montreal Canadiens fans, but by NHL fans all over the world.

Yes, I could rattle off all sorts of awards, notable records, and unbelievable statistics Dryden achieved. But that isn’t all Ken Dryden is known for. He was in Parliament and involved with hockey operations. Ken was a hockey executive for the Toronto Maple Leafs and others.

Researching Dryden’s life, I discovered he was among the few people honoured with the Order of Canada, this country’s highest civilian honor. It is awarded to an individual who has made an extraordinary and sustained contribution to Canadian life, and they must be nominated by someone else. It is awarded by the Governor General of Canada. 

Now, let’s discuss some of the accomplishments in his career. One of his biggest accomplishments was winning the Conn Smythe trophy and then winning the Rookie of the Year or the Calder trophy in the following year. He won the Con Smythe after playing only six games in the regular season in 1971. He had an eight-year career with the Montreal Canadiens, during which they won six Stanley Cups. Drydren won a remarkable five Vezina trophies in a row. He was also part of the famous Canada-Russia summit series, where he split goaltending duties with Espo. He published two books on this series: Face-Off at the Summit in 1973 and The Series: What I Remember, What It Felt Like, What It Feels Like Now on the fiftieth anniversary of the series. Dryden was an accomplished author with ten published works.

Last word

I will never forget Ken for his stance, resting his shoulder on the top of his stick. He broke my heart as a Leafs fan on several occasions, and his passing breaks my heart as a hockey fan.

May God bless his family and friends. Our sympathies are with you.