Hockey Hall of Famer Won National Championship at Cornell
CHN Staff Report
Ken Dryden, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and legendary Cornell goaltender, passed away Friday at age 78 following a battle with cancer.
Dryden went 76-4-1 at Cornell over a three-year career. He helped lead the Big Red to their first NCAA championship in 1966-67. Dryden and Cornell lost in the national semis in 1968, and in the national championship game in 1969.
After first putting his NHL career on pause in order to attend law school, Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens in time for the 1970-71 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he helped lead the Canadiens to the championship and was named playoff MVP.
Dryden won another Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1973, then four in a row from 1976-79, at which point he retired.
At 6-foot-4, Dryden towered above other goaltenders of his time. His .922 save percentage in the NHL was by far the best of the era. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.
Dryden went on to pen numerous books, including The Game, considered one of the best hockey books ever written. He was a commentator for ABC for the 1980 Olympic games, where the United States famously won a gold medal.
Dryden, a native of Hamilton, Ontario, later was president of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a time. In 2004, he entered politics in Canada, winning a seat in the House of Commons. He lost his seat in 2011.
His No. 1 is retired by Cornell. He wore No. 29 in the NHL, and that was also retired by the Canadiens.