The Montreal Canadiens and the fans of the team are all in mourning today while the legendary Ken Dryden died after a battle with cancer At the age of 78. It seems that every season a team loses a legend, and even more for the Canadiens, who had so many. Dryden was a favorite with fans, not only for his game on the ice, but also for his soft and understanding attitude of the ice. He wasn’t just a great hockey player; He was a great person.
Dryden was the key to the success of the Canadiens in the 1970s
Dryden entered the Canadiens Dynastief Photo on March 14, 1971 and won his first match against the Pittsburgh Penguins with 5-1 and stopped 35 of 36 Schoten. Only when goalkeeper Rogie Vachon was injured did the team realize that they had a budding superstar. Dryden played the remaining six games of the season and won them all with a 1.65 goals-to-average (GAA). This brought the main coach of the Canadiens, Al McNeil, to start Dryden in the play -offs. This became the right call, because Dryden Montreal led to a victory from Stanley Cup and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP.
The following season, 1971-72, Dryden won the Calder trophy for Rookie of the Year and became the first and only player who won the Conn Smythe and Stanley Cup before he won the Rookie of the Year Award and before he lost a regular seasonal game. The Canadiens won six Stanley Cups in the 1970s, and Dryden won five Vezina trophies for top target defender. The fact that Dryden played only seven full seasons in the NHL means that he won the Stanley Cup every season, but two (if you count his first season, where he only played six games in the regular season). He was also called the best goalkeeper in five of those seven full seasons.
Dryden takes a year off in contract dispute
Towards the end of the 1972-73 season, Dryden had just won the Stanley Cup and the Vezina trophy and he was looking for a new contract. The Canadiens wanted to keep him, But didn’t want to pay What Dryden thought he was worth. On this day in 1973, Dryden announced during a press conference in Montreal that he did not return to the Canadiens for the coming season 1973-74. Unable to agree with the Canadiens organization to negotiate again on his contract, the 26-year-old said that six NHL goalkeepers were paid better than he was in the NHL in 1972-73. Dryden had hoped to receive a three -year contract for a cumulative amount of $ 500,000.
Related: Legendary goalkeeper of Canadiens Ken Dryden is about 78
In turn, Montreal offered him a one -year contract with an extension of two years with a value of $ 110,000 and $ 120,000 respectively. That salary was the same as the leader of the team, Henri Richard, at the time the best -paid player in the team. Sam Pollock, at the time the general manager of Montreal, believed that the Canadiens could be just as successful without Dryden and decided to leave him outside the season. Pollock was half good, because the Habs had a successful season and 42-24-9 played a three-goalie tandem from Wayne Thomas, Michel Larouque and Michel Plasse. However, they lost in the first round of the Play -Offs at the New York Rangers in six games. Dryden solved his contract problems and returned the following season.
Kept and worshiped, Dryden was the heart of a province
Dryden only played eight seasons in the NHL, but those seasons were so legendary that they fascinated the hearts and souls of a whole province and a whole nation. In Quebec, hockey is not only a game, it is a way of life and for a religion. When the Habs win, the entire province of Quebec seems to live, the mood is better and people are happier. This was ten times in the 1970s, when it seemed as if Montreal had a parade in St. Catherine’s Street every summer. Dryden made an important contribution to that success. The people of Montreal, the people of Quebec, and the people of Canada knew it all.
As the years progress, it seems that the city of Montreal has to mourn another hero, and Dryden is often on everyone’s Mount Rushmore from Canadiens -heroes. Although born in Hamilton, Ontario, he was an honorary doctorate Quebecois and a legend in the streets of Montreal. His career was short, but his success lives on forever. It is even more devastating for HAB fans that his death took place on the same day when the team traded future target twist legend Carey Price and officially ended his career at the organization. In one day the city lost two legends, so to speak. However, when people mourn, they also celebrate someone’s life, and with Dryden there is a lot to celebrate.
If you are not old enough to remember the championships, the parades and the victories, go back and look at the highlights. Ask a family member to tell you how exciting the Canadiens were and how this giant of a man wore a province on his shoulders for ten years.
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