Ken Dryden, Canadiens icon and six-time Stanley Cup champion, dead at 78

Ken Dryden, Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who won six Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s, died Friday after a battle with cancer, the team announced.

He was 78.

“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man. 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”, Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said in a statement “Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about, and his legacy within our society transcends our sport.

Dryden, an Ontario native, had an impressive amateur career at Cornell as a three-time All-America selection and a national title winner in 1967.

He then joined the Canadiens for a relatively short but incredibly memorable eight-year NHL career, winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s best rookie in 1971-72 before winning the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie on five separate occasions.

Standing at 6-foot-4 — Bruins forward Phil Esposito once referred to his as “that thieving giraffe” — Dryden often struck a famous pose in the crease, resting his chin atop the knob on his goal stick.