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Ken Dryden, who was on the call for the “Miracle on Ice” following a Hall of Fame playing career, has died at the age of 78 after battling cancer.
Dryden won six Stanley Cups in a short eight-year career, all with the Montreal Canadiens. He is the NHL’s all-time leader in adjusted goals-against average (2.03) and goals-allowed percentage (73).
He won the Vezina Trophy, given to the top goaltender in the league, five times. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
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Ken Dryden is shown before an NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins on Oct. 16, 2014, at Bell Centre in Montreal. (Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens 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.
“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about.”
“From the moment Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending position,” added NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. “Ken’s love for his country was evident both on and off the ice.”
Retired NHL goaltender Ken Dryden sits with ABC Sports commentator Al Michaels during the Sweden–United States men’s hockey game at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. (Steve Fenn/Getty Images)
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media he was “deeply saddened” to hear about Dryden’s death, calling him a “public servant and inspiration.”
“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country,” Carney said. “Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.”
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, Dryden was 258-57-74 with a .922 save percentage, 2.24 goals-against average and 46 shutouts and went 80-32 in the playoffs.
Dryden entered the NHL in 1971 and spent just six games in the crease before making his NHL postseason debut. He and Montreal upset rival Boston in the first round and beat Chicago in the final.
He also worked at a Toronto law firm while sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season — after previously earning a law degree at Montreal’s McGill University.
Less than a year after his retirement in 1979, Dryden joined Al Michaels at the 1980 Winter Olympics where he happened to be on call for the United States’ upset against the Soviet Union.
Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden makes a kick save on New York Rangers’ Rod Gilbert (7) at Madison Square Garden in New York. (Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty Images)
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Dryden’s voice can be heard shortly after Michaels’ infamous “Do you believe in miracles? Yes,” simply saying, “Unbelievable.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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