Overview

• Montreal announced the death early Saturday and said the Hall of Famer died Friday following a battle with cancer.
• Dryden backstopped the Canadiens to six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s and earned the Conn Smythe, the Calder and five Vezina Trophies.
• He retired at 31 after just over seven NHL seasons and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983.
• Internationally, he was a central figure in Canada’s 1972 Summit Series win over the Soviet Union, starting the decisive Game 8.
• Beyond the rink he wrote influential books including The Game, served as Toronto Maple Leafs president and later as a Liberal MP and federal minister; tributes came from Canadiens owner Geoff Molson, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Prime Minister Mark Carney, and he is survived by his wife, Lynda, and their two children.