NEED TO KNOW
\nHockey Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens player Ken Dryden has died at the age of 87The late athlete died following a cancer diagnosis, his former team announced on Saturday, Sept. 6Dryden notably helped lead the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cup wins in the 1970s, and he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983<\/p>\n
Ken Dryden, a hockey Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens player, has died. He was 78.\n<\/p>\n
The Montreal Canadiens announced<\/a> on Saturday, Sept. 6, that the goaltrender \u2014 who helped the team win six Stanley Cups in the 1970s \u2014 died following a cancer diagnosis.\n<\/p>\n Geoff Molson, the owner and president of the Montreal Canadiens, said in a statement that Dryden was not only an \u201cexceptional athlete,\u201d but an \u201cexceptional man,\u201d and \u201cbehind the mask he was larger than life.\u201d\n<\/p>\n “We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey\u2019s greatest dynasties, but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen, and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations,\u201d Molson added. \u201cHe was one of the true legends that helped shape this Club into what it is today.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Ken Dryden in October 1978.<\/p>\n Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty<\/p>\n \u201cKen embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about, and his legacy within our society transcends our sport,\u201d he continued.\n<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of the Molson family and our entire organization, I would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to his family, his friends, and all who had the privilege to cross his path and know him on a personal level,” Molson concluded.<\/p>\n Ken Dryden in December 2009.<\/p>\n Richard Wolowicz\/Getty<\/p>\n Dryden, born on Aug. 8, 1947, in Hamilton, Ontario, made his debut with the Canadiens during the 1970\u201371 season. In just six games, he helped carry the team to victory, before leading them all the way to the Stanley Cup Final \u2014 where they clinched the championship.\n<\/p>\n During Drydan\u2019s rookie year, he also won the Conn Smythe Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most valuable player of his team during the Stanley Cup playoffs.\n<\/p>\n Dryden continued to win awards for his performance on the ice hockey field, including the Calder Trophy as the league\u2019s top rookie in his first full season of 1971-72, and the Vezina Trophy as the league\u2019s top goaltender five times, including during the 1972-73, 1975-76 and 1978-79 seasons.\n<\/p>\n He later helped lead the Canadiens to five more Stanley Cup championships throughout the 1970s, before his retirement in 1979. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and his jersey, No. 29, was retired in January 2007.\n<\/p>\n Ken Dryden of the Montreal Canadiens circa 1980.<\/p>\n Robert Shaver\/Bruce Bennett Collection\/Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty<\/p>\n Dryden not only excelled on the ice, but was also writer. He published several novels, including best-seller The Game, which was a first-person account of his 1978-79 season with Montreal.\n<\/p>\n The late athlete also went into public service, serving as the Minister of Social Development for Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Paul Martin between 2004 and 2005. His service earned him the Order of Canada in 2012, which is the country\u2019s highest civilian honor.\n<\/p>\n Ken Dryden in October 2024.<\/p>\n Minas Panagiotakis\/Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s current Prime Minister Mark Carney paid tribute to the hockey player after his death, sharing on X<\/a>, that Dryden was the \u201creason I became a goalie, although I never mastered his ability to lean on his stick let alone keep the puck out of the net.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cHis return to university at the height of his playing career taught the importance of balance in life. His post-hockey career demonstrated the value of public service,\u201d he continued.\n<\/p>\n \u201cFew Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country,\u201d Carney added. \u201cKen Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.\u201d\n<\/p>\n The Montreal Canadiens said that Dryden\u2019s family asked for privacy while they mourn their loved one. The team added that those who wish to honor him should donate to the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre<\/a> or the Concussion Legacy Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEED TO KNOW Hockey Hall of Famer and Montreal Canadiens player Ken Dryden has died at the age…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":["post-125020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/125021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}