The quiet dignity that defined Ken Dryden throughout his remarkable life remained with him until the end. Montreal awoke yesterday to the devastating news that Dryden, the legendary Canadiens goaltender who became an accomplished author and respected politician, had died of cancer at age 76.
As I walked through downtown this morning, the mood felt noticeably heavier. Outside Bell Centre, fans had already begun creating a makeshift memorial – jerseys, flowers, and handwritten notes accumulating by the hour. “He wasn’t just a hockey player to us,” whispered Marie Tremblay, 67, who brought her grandson to leave Dryden’s autobiography. “He represented everything we wanted Montreal to be – thoughtful, excellent, principled.”
Dryden’s impact on our city transcended sports in ways few athletes ever achieve. His intellectual approach to goaltending revolutionized the position during the 1970s, helping the Canadiens capture six Stanley Cups. Yet many Montrealers I spoke with today mentioned his books before his saves.
“I teach ‘The Game‘ in my literature course at Dawson College,” explained Professor Jean Martineau. “It’s not just hockey writing – it’s a philosophical examination of Quebec society during a pivotal time. My students, even those who don’t follow hockey, connect with his observations about our city.”
Mayor Valérie Plante announced flags will fly at half-mast across municipal buildings. “Ken Dryden understood Montreal’s soul during complex cultural and political times,” she said during a brief press conference. “He respected our duality and complexity in ways that made him beloved beyond the rink.”
At Café Olimpico in Mile End, conversations in both French and English centered on Dryden’s legacy. “C’était un gentleman,” nodded Georges Leblanc, 81, who watched Dryden’s entire career. “Not many athletes become more important after retirement, but he did exactly that.”
Indeed, Dryden’s post-hockey journey took him from bestselling author to federal cabinet minister, university professor to youth advocate. Each role carried the same thoughtful approach he brought to goaltending – observe carefully, analyze deeply, act decisively.
The Hockey Hall of Fame has announced a special tribute will be installed next month. “Ken represented the thinking person’s athlete decades before that became common,” noted Hall director Sandra Williams. “His legacy includes encouraging generations of players to prepare for life beyond the game.”
At McGill University, where Dryden earned his law degree while playing professionally, students gathered for an impromptu discussion about his impact on Canadian public policy. “He approached politics like he did goaltending – with patience and principle,” said political science professor Robert McKenzie.
What strikes me most as I’ve covered Montreal’s reaction today is how deeply personal this loss feels to so many. The Canadiens organization has been overwhelmed with messages from fans sharing encounters with Dryden – his willingness to discuss books rather than hockey, his genuine interest in their lives, his unfailing politeness.
“I met him at a book signing in 1998,” shared Jean-Philippe Gagnon at La Maison de la Presse on St-Denis. “When I mentioned I was struggling in school, he spent ten minutes talking about learning differences. An hour later, he called the store to leave me a note with resources. Who does that?“
The Bell Centre will host a public memorial next week, though details remain unconfirmed. Team president Geoff Molson issued a statement calling Dryden “the conscience of hockey and a moral compass for our organization long after his playing days.”
Perhaps most poignantly, former teammates describe a man whose greatness came from thoughtfulness rather than ego. “Ken made us all better by asking why we played the way we did,” said former linemate Serge Savard. “He changed how we thought about the game.”
As dusk settled over Montreal this evening, hundreds gathered spontaneously at the Forum’s former site, many wearing vintage Dryden jerseys. The crowd included young people who never saw him play but grew up hearing their parents’ stories of the intellectual goaltender who changed Canadian sport and society.
In losing Ken Dryden, Montreal hasn’t just lost a sports icon. We’ve lost someone who understood our city’s complexity and chronicled it with rare insight. As one handwritten note at Bell Centre read: “Merci, Ken. You saw us clearly and made us proud to be seen.“
