Hockey legend Ken Dryden useless at 78 after most cancers battle

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Ken Dryden , who was on the decision for the "Miracle on Ice" following a Corridor of Fame taking part in profession, has died on the age of 78 after battling most cancers.

Dryden received six Stanley Cups in a brief eight-year profession, all with the Montreal Canadiens . He's the NHL's all-time chief in adjusted goals-against common (2.03) and goals-allowed share (73).

He received the Vezina Trophy, given to the highest goaltender within the league, 5 occasions. He was inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in his first yr of eligibility.

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Ken Dryden is proven earlier than an NHL recreation between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins on Oct. 16, 2014, at Bell Centre in Montreal. (Francois Lacasse/NHLI through Getty Pictures)

"Ken Dryden was an distinctive athlete, however he was additionally an distinctive man," Canadiens proprietor Geoff Molson mentioned. "Behind the masks he was bigger than life. We mourn as we speak not solely the lack of the cornerstone of one in every of hockey’s best dynasties but in addition a household man, a considerate citizen and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities throughout generations.

"Ken embodied the very best of every part the Montreal Canadiens are about."

"From the second Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an instantaneous and lasting impression on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending place," added NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. "Ken’s love for his nation was evident each on and off the ice."

Retired NHL goaltender Ken Dryden sits with ABC Sports activities commentator Al Michaels through the Sweden–United States males’s hockey recreation on the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. (Steve Fenn/Getty Pictures)

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media he was "deeply saddened" to listen to about Dryden's dying, calling him a "public servant and inspiration."

"Few Canadians have given extra, or stood taller, for our nation," Carney mentioned. "Ken Dryden was Massive Canada. And he was Greatest Canada. Relaxation in peace."

Inducted into the Hockey Corridor of Fame in 1983, Dryden was 258-57-74 with a .922 save share, 2.24 goals-against common and 46 shutouts and went 80-32 within the playoffs.

Dryden entered the NHL in 1971 and spent simply six video games within the crease earlier than making his NHL postseason debut. He and Montreal upset rival Boston within the first spherical and beat Chicago within the last.

He additionally labored at a Toronto regulation agency whereas sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season — after beforehand incomes a regulation diploma at Montreal’s McGill College.

Lower than a yr after his retirement in 1979, Dryden joined Al Michaels on the 1980 Winter Olympics the place he occurred to be on name for the USA' upset towards the Soviet Union.

Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden makes a kick save on New York Rangers’ Rod Gilbert (7) at Madison Sq. Backyard in New York. (Bruce Bennett Studios through Getty Pictures Studios/Getty Pictures)