Ken Dryden ’69, the legendary Cornell men’s hockey goaltender who still holds the program record for career wins (76) and backstopped the Big Red to its first national championship in 1967, died of cancer Sept. 5. He was 78.

“Ken Dryden was not only one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of hockey, but also a symbol of excellence, intellect and leadership who represented Cornell with unmatched distinction,” said Nicki Moore, Cornell’s Meakem Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education. “His impact on the game, on our university and in communities throughout his homeland in Canada will endure far beyond the ice.”

“Ken Dryden was the quintessential student-athlete,” said Casey Jones ’90, the Jay R. Bloom ’77 Head Coach of Cornell Men’s Ice Hockey. “He was a great ambassador for Cornell and hockey in general.”

Dryden’s interests and accomplishments were wide-ranging – beyond his storied hockey career, he found success as an author, lawyer, politician, sports executive and television commentator. 

At Cornell, the 6-foot-4-inch Dryden compiled a record of 76 wins, four losses and one tie, with a 1.59 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, while leading the Big Red to the first three of its four consecutive ECAC Hockey Tournament titles (1967-69), two ECAC Hockey regular-season championships (1968, ’69), and the 1967 NCAA title. His career goals-against average and save percentage still rank second in program history.

After graduating with a bachelor’s in history, Dryden launched an extraordinary eight-year National Hockey League career with the Montreal Canadiens. He won six Stanley Cups, five Vezina Trophies (NHL’s most outstanding goaltender), the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1971 as the Stanley Cup playoffs’ most valuable player, and the Calder Trophy in 1972 as the league’s Rookie of the Year.

In 1973, Dryden earned the first of his five Vezina Trophies after leading the league in wins (33), goals-against average (2.26), and save percentage (.926). He is one of four goaltenders in NHL history to win the award at least five times.

Dryden stepped away from hockey in a contract dispute for the 1973-74 season, briefly retiring while earning a law degree from McGill University and working at a Toronto law firm, before returning to the Canadiens in 1974. Over the next five seasons, he anchored one of the NHL’s most dominant dynasties, guiding the Canadiens to four straight Stanley Cups (1976-79) and capturing the Vezina Trophy each year. During that stretch, he posted a record of 150 wins, 33 losses and 30 ties, with a 2.13 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and 28 shutouts.

Dryden was inducted into the Cornell Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, both in his first year of eligibility. His No. 29 sweater was retired by the Canadiens in 2007; his No. 1 sweater was retired by Cornell in 2010, alongside the No. 25 of fellow Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk ’88.

Dryden represented Canada several times in international competition, including in the 1972 Summit Series in which Team Canada defeated the Soviet Union.

Following his official retirement from the NHL in 1979, Dryden wrote half a dozen books, including “The Game,” which detailed life as a professional hockey player and is widely considered the best hockey book ever written. His other books covered everything from hockey to the Canadian education system; he also taught a class at McGill, and had successful stints as a broadcaster, hockey executive and politician.

Dryden was a TV color commentator at the 1980, ’84 and ’88 Winter Olympics, and worked with Al Michaels for ABC’s coverage of the “Miracle on Ice” game between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

Dryden served as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1997 to 2003, when he resigned to enter politics. He was a success in that arena, as well, winning the 2004 federal election for the House of Commons of Canada, and was named to the Cabinet as minister of social development. He was re-elected in 2006 and was a member of the House of Commons of Canada until 2011.

In 2009, Dryden returned to Cornell along with Bill Bradley, the former Princeton and New York Knicks basketball star and former New Jersey senator, for a discussion, “Lives on the Run: Sports, Service and Leadership,” which was moderated by ESPN host Jeremy Schaap ’91.

He is survived by his wife, Lynda Curran Dryden ’69, children Sarah and Michael, and two grandchildren.

Remembering Ken Dryden ’69 photo gallery