Most people in life are content with achieving one dream professionally speaking, but not Montreal Canadiens legendary goaltender Ken Dryden. Becoming a professional athlete is already quite a difficult dream to achieve, but for Montreal’s number 29, it wasn’t enough.
View the original article to see embedded media.
On top of being one of the most dominant goaltenders of his era, Dryden became a lawyer and, later in life, a teacher, an author and a politician. No wonder he only spent eight seasons in the NHL, he needed time to live all his other lives.
Funnily enough, Dryden was drafted in 1964 by the Boston Bruins in the third round with the 14th pick (yes, rounds were much shorter in the original-six era). He was 16 years-old back then and as he refused to report to Boston, they traded him to the Canadiens for two players, Paul Reid and Guy Allen, neither of whom ever played in the NHL.
Meanwhile, Dryden joined the Canadiens in 1970-1971 playing six regular season games which he all won, posting a 1.65 goals-against average and a .957 save percentage. As a result, he became the team’s number one goaltender and led the Habs to the Stanley Cup keeping a .914 SP and a 3.01 GAA, leading him to his first and only Conn Smythe Trophy win. He also became the first goaltender to win the Cup before losing a single regular season game on top of winning hockey’s biggest prize before the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.
Related: Canadiens: Dryden Sees Price in the Rafters
The following season, he was a fixture in the Canadiens’ net, playing 64 games and keeping a 39-8-15 record with a .930 SP and a 2.24 GAA. As a result, he won the Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the league and finished second in Hart Trophy voting. Montreal fell short of its own expectation that season, being eliminated from the playoffs after just six games. In 1973, he won a second Cup and the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder.
Dryden would fail to guide the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in 1975. They had failed to win the big prize in 1974, but that was the year they played without Dryden who sat out because of a contractual dispute and worked all year in the Law firm Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt as a legal clerk, which allowed him to complete the requirements of his law degree at McGill University.
Once the contractual dispute was settled, Dryden returned to action and while his numbers (.906 SP and 2.70 GAA) would have been great according to most standards, they were below his own. He bounced right back the next year though and won the first of four consecutive Cups.
Even though Dryden only played for eight seasons (well seven really considering he only played six games in his first year), he still sits fourth in career wins wearing the Sainte-Flanelle with 258. He won those at a time when ties still existed and while only playing 397 games. In other words, he has an insane 65 percent win percentage. He’s first in the SP department with a stunning .922 and third when it comes to GAA with 2.24. He’s got 46 shutouts to his name, good for the fourth rank.
Of course, the Canadiens of the 1970s were a formidable team, but they probably wouldn’t have won eight Cups in ten years had it not been for Dryden. You can have all of the firepower in the world but if there’s no-one making the stops, you’re not winning.
Eight seasons might not be a lot of time, but it was long enough to build the legend of another Montreal goaltender. You’d be hard pressed today to find a Montreal Canadiens’ fan who cannot recognize Dryden’s famous mask and stance.
Off the ice, Dryden has also written some incredible hockey books that are a treat to read. The Game, Game Change and Scotty are just a few of his best selling ones. Personally, Game Change is my favorite. On top of being well-written, it shows how well Dryden can argue a case and go into battle for a cause that is dear to his heart.
There may never be another hockey player like Dryden, one as dominant on the ice and as eloquent off the ice, a true inspiration and role model to help kids who idolize hockey player to realize there is more than the game in life and you can have quite an impact off the ice as well.
Related
Canadiens’ Goalie Week Carey Price
Canadiens’ Goalie Week Jose Theodore
Canadiens’ Goalie Week Patrick Roy
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens’ page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens
