Hall of Fame Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden dies of cancer at age 78

By Canadian Press on September 5, 2025.

MONTREAL (AP) — Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender who helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died after a fight with cancer. He was 78.

The Canadiens announced the death, saying Dryden’s family asked for privacy.

“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.

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The Associated Press