Hall of Fame goalie Ken Dryden dies at 78
Ken Dryden, the legendary goaltender who backstopped the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cup championships in the 1970s, has died at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer, the team announced Friday.
The Canadiens announced the death, saying Dryden's family asked for privacy, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
"Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man," owner Geoff Molson said. "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."
Dryden backstopped the NHL's most successful franchise to the championship in seven of his eight seasons in the league from 1970-71 to '78-79.
"Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about," Molson said.
Dryden, from Hamilton, Ontario, played three seasons at Cornell University from 1966-69, leading the Big Red to the 1967 NCAA title. He also was a cornerstone of Canada's 1972 Summit Series team that defeated the Soviet Union.
He ended his playing days at 32, went into broadcasting and wrote "The Game," one of the best known books about the sport. Dryden was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ken Dryden, the legendary Montreal Canadiens goaltender who backstopped the team’s 1970s dynasty to six Stanley Cups, has passed away at the age of 78 following a battle with cancer.<br><br>News release ↓<a href="https://t.co/yKQdmTE8Me">https://t.co/yKQdmTE8Me</a></p>— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanadiensMTL/status/1964184964108370320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 6, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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