Canadiens Legend Ken Dryden Lived an Extraordinary Life Far Beyond the NHL

The walls of the old Montreal Forum could not contain his virtuosity. He was a Renaissance man when he stepped away from the arena. Dryden would go on to serve as a member of Canada’s Parliament, he was a best-selling author and was named officer of the Order of Canada.

For Montreal Canadiens fans, Dryden was a larger-than-life figure of their 1970s dynasty. To opponents, he was an impenetrable nightmare when he guarded the net with his 6-foot-4 frame. Hall of Fame center Phil Esposito would refer to him as "that thieving giraffe."

Though he only dressed in “La Sainte-Flanelle” for eight seasons, Dryden made those years unforgettable to Montrealers. He backstopped the Habs to six Stanley Cup championships, capturing five Vezina Trophies along the way.

Dryden made a storybook entrance to the NHL in his rookie season of 1970-71. Upon being called up from the minors late in the season, he won each of the six games that he appeared in and only allowed nine goals, to the tune of a .957 save percentage and 1.65 goals against average.

The rookie from Islington, Ontario, wrestled the starter’s net away from veteran Rogie Vachon in time for the 1971 playoffs. Dryden would extinguish the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in a thrilling, seven-game quarterfinal series. His heroics between the pipes in defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in the 1971 Stanley Cup Final earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy.

He remains the only player in NHL history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy before capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy.

In the 1972 Summit Series, two superpowers collided when Canada met Russia. Paul Henderson’s dramatic “Goal of the Century” with 34 seconds remaining in Game 8 decided the series. Dryden would share Canada’s net with Tony Esposito throughout the series, but he outdueled the venerable Vladislav Tretiak in Game 8.

Dryden would opt to retire from hockey in 1979 at the age of 31 to pursue his many interests outside of the sport. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983. The Canadiens retired his No. 29 on Jan. 29, 2007.

Though his career was brief, the trophies and record books point to Dryden as one of hockey’s all-time greatest goaltenders. No goaltender owns a better career adjusted goals against average than his mark of 2.03.

But Dryden was more than just a goaltender. He lived an extraordinary life.