Ken Dryden is DEAD TO ME!

This will be more relevant to Canadian DL'ers:

Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender whose long resumé in and out of hockey included six Stanley Cup victories and helping backstop Canada's generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series, died Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

A key member of the Montreal Canadiens' 1970s dynasty, Dryden's career in the spotlight was only just getting started when he retired from the game — and while at the top of his own game — in his early 30s.

A lawyer, author, politician and NHL executive, he would go on to leave an indelible mark across large swaths of wider Canadian society.

I just asked my mom about him (she's not a hockey fan), and even she remembers him fondly. He was never the stereotypical stupid athlete.

I once attended an event he spoke at back when he was a Liberal MP. He was 6'3 or 6'4 so he towered over a lot of people. Nice, easy-going guy despite his Olympic hockey fame. I think he did a law degree after his athletic days were over.

Oh, that is sad.

I was a huuuuge NYR fan back then, and was crushed when the Canadiens crushed my team in the Stanley Cup finals in 1979. I haaaated the Islanders but I couldn't bring myself to hate the Canadiens; I adored Ken Dryden and his playing style, and always seemed a good guy.

RIP.