Before Friday’s home opener against Brown, an unusual pair lined up for a center-rink faceoff.
Freshman goaltender Alexis Cournoyer and Brown’s Tyler Shea crossed sticks, commemorating the late Ken Dryden ’69, who had graced the Lynah Rink crease years before their debuts on the ice.
One of Dryden’s fraternity brothers dropped the ceremonial puck and kicked off the Red’s conference play.
“It was pretty special that they did the two goaltenders,” said head coach Casey Jones ’90. “I’d never seen that before, but fitting, you know?”
Dryden, who died at the age of 78 in early September, won 76 games in the net for Cornell — and he only lost four. Among his many record-book appearances are a 1.59 goals-against average (second-lowest in Cornell history) and a 93.9 percent save percentage (second-highest in Cornell history).
After his time with the Red, Dryden went on to NHL glory, winning six Stanley Cup championships in just seven full seasons of professional hockey. The Hockey Hall of Fame inductee left a mark on his alma mater, notably in the form of a larger-than-life jersey sporting his retired number ‘1,’ which hangs beside the 1967 NCAA Championship banner in the rafters of Lynah Rink.
Dryden’s legacy runs deeper than his prowess in goal. Dryden’s teammates, friends and family members gathered as Cornell faced Brown to honor the memory of not just a standout athlete, but a stand-up man.
“I talked with a lot of people in the [Montreal] Canadiens organization, and they all said [when] you were talking to Ken Dryden, it was something you could feel. That aura,” Cournoyer said. “It was cool tonight.”
Along with commemorative videos, photos and trivia featured throughout the game, Dryden received a permanent place on the team in the form of helmet stickers depicting his silhouette and iconic mask.
On Cournoyer’s mask, Dryden has a more prominent feature. The fellow Canadian stopped 27 shots en route to the Red’s 4-1 victory, with the memory of Dryden permanently embedded on his uniform.
“It's more of the person he was,” Cournoyer said. “Yes, [what he did as a] goalie, but what he did after hockey, and what he did for Cornell too. I think he's just such a great person.”
Building a Legacy
John Beau Saul ’97, an Ithaca native and Cornell alum, recalled how Dryden’s presence loomed large over his childhood. A neighbor of Dryden’s future wife, Lynda, Saul modeled his own athletic aspirations off the Red.
“There were times we’d be out playing ball hockey with Lynda [Dryden’s] brother and all of us kids that lived on the street, and Dryden would drive by, probably going to Lynda’s house or coming back,” Saul said. “We were starstruck, but he just got out and said ‘hey.’ It was awesome.”
Between Dryden’s three years on Cornell’s varsity squad — at the time, freshmen had a separate team — the Red reached the NCAA Championship twice, including its victory in 1967. With limited season tickets granted each year, and high demand to watch the nationally dominant program, fans lined up at the doors of the rink far before puck drop for the chance to get a seat.
“Without it being so publicized — we didn’t have TV coverage — you really had to be there. That’s what I think created the buzz,” Saul said. “The national championship, for us as kids, it was almost normal. We expected that every year.”
For Saul, the legend continued after Dryden had graduated from East Hill. He followed along as Dryden was traded to the Montreal Canadiens and made his professional debut in 1970.
“We didn’t know how good we had it, or how good he was going to become,” Saul said. “As kids, he was a legend. He was an idol. We all wanted to play goalie, we all wanted to be him.”
Though he’d risen into the ranks of hockey greats, Dryden opted to retire in favor of a career in government, obtaining a Bachelor of Laws degree and becoming an appointed Minister in the Cabinet of Canada.
“That’s what we expect Cornellians to do when you graduate,” Saul said. “He did it all, and never forgot.”
Alexis Rogers is the sports editor on the 143rd editorial board. She is in the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts & Sciences, and she can be reached at arogers@cornellsun.com.
