Ken Dryden, Canadiens great, author, and politician, dies of cancer

Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender whose resume included six Stanley Cup victories and a stint in the federal cabinet, died Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender whose long resume in and out of hockey included six Stanley Cup victories and helping backstop Canada’s generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series, died Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

A key member of the Montreal Canadiens’ 1970s dynasty, Dryden’s career in the spotlight was only just getting started when he retired from the game — and while at the top of his own game — in his early 30s.

A lawyer, author, politician and NHL executive with the Toronto Maple Leafs, he would go on to leave an indelible mark across large swaths of wider Canadian society.

Born Aug. 8, 1947, in Hamilton, Ont., Dryden grew up in a Toronto suburb with his parents, brother and sister.

Selected by the Boston Bruins with the 14th pick in the 1964 NHL draft before a trade to Montreal, Dryden played U.S. college hockey at Cornell University and eventually made his Canadiens debut in March 1971.

He snatched the crease from veteran Rogie Vachon that spring and led the Original Six franchise to the Cup along with securing the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Dryden then won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year in 1971-72, but Montreal lost in the first round that post-season.

He split the crease with Tony Esposito five months later in the 1972 Summit Series — a slugfest between Canada and the Soviet Union that became a metaphor for the West’s struggle against communism at the height of the Cold War.