The OHL is mourning the loss of an alumnus and former head coach in Dave Dryden, who passed away on Friday at the age of 81.
Dryden, from Hamilton, Ont., played three seasons in the OHA ranks between the St. Michael’s Majors and Toronto Marlboros from 1959-62, winning a Memorial Cup championship with a St. Mike’s squad that also featured eventual NHL star netminder Gerry Cheevers in 1961.
Following an 18-year pro career spent predominantly with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and Buffalo Sabres along with the WHA’s Edmonton Oilers, Dryden stepped behind the bench with the Peterborough Petes for two seasons from 1980-82.
The older brother of Montreal Canadiens legend and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Ken Dryden, Dave went on to serve as a goaltending coach and assistant coach of the Detroit Red Wings from 1983-87.
The Dryden brothers made hockey history on March 20, 1971, becoming the NHL’s first brothers to oppose each other in the crease when Montreal faced Buffalo. Dave’s best years came in the WHA, where he became the first goaltender to ever surrender a professional goal to the great Wayne Gretzky. Dryden was the WHA’s top goaltender and most valuable player in 1979 and he also blazed a trail, designing the first-ever mask-cage combination goaltending mask in 1977 – the mask is on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
Dryden is survived by his wife Sandra, children Greg and Debbie, and six grandchildren as well as his two siblings and their families.
For more on the life and career of Dave Dryden, visit nhl.com.
Former NHL goaltender Dave Dryden has passed away at the age of 81. Dryden, the older brother of Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden, played 203 career NHL games with the New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers: https://t.co/ayMyYGpsTq pic.twitter.com/OIIiZCutMB
— TSN Hockey (@TSNHockey) October 7, 2022
