Ken Dryden
By 
A remarkable person and athlete — who I was lucky enough to briefly meet when he gave a speech at his law school alma mater sometime in the early 90s — has passed away:
Ken Dryden has died after a battle with cancer, the Montreal Canadiens announced early Saturday.
The former star goalie was 78.
“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement. “Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties, but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen, and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations. He was one of the true legends that helped shape this Club into what it is today.
“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about, and his legacy within our society transcends our sport. On 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.”
Dryden led the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup in 1971 in his first season in the NHL. He went on to add five more Stanley Cups during the 1970s.
The Hamilton native won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goalie five times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983 and had his No. 29 retired by the Canadiens in 2007.
After his playing career, Dryden was president of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1997-2003.
Dryden then entered politics in 2004, becoming a Liberal MP and Minister of Social Development.
Dryden, the backbone of the greatest team in NHL history, won the playoff MVP award before he won the rookie of the year award, an accomplishment it’s hard to see being equalled. And in addition to his Hall of Fame career, he was the winning goalie in the most famous international game in the sport’s history.
The Game, which I revisit every few years, deserves its reputation as one of the best books ever written about sports — a compelling account of how difficult it is for a great team to remain on top, a collection of colorful personalities with a great but cold and distant coach, in the context of a secessionist government taking power in Quebec. He was never going to equal that achievement, but I always enjoyed his writing, most notably his reckoning with the premature death of Steve Montador and the concussion crisis in sports. He was a smart and compassionate guy who led a great life. R.I.P.