The passing of hockey icon Ken Dryden on Friday at age 78 was a huge loss, not only for the sports world but for the literary world as well. Dryden’s mastery of the language was on the same level as his mastery of the art of goaltending. His turns of phrase were as insightful as they were compelling, and although Dryden’s legendary status as a Montreal Canadiens superstar was well-deserved, we now have a chance to honor Dryden with a lifetime achievement award.
Think of something like the Ken Dryden Award for excellence in sports and literary achievement as something Hockey Canada could do to pay respects to the genius who wrote The Game, which should be on your reading list if it isn’t already. Dryden’s care and concern for the communities he wrote about – whether that was in hockey and sport, but also in terms of his life as a public servant – is certainly something to celebrate. And introducing new generations of people to Dryden’s musings will be something those generations thank us for once they are introduced to Dryden’s social impact.
Dryden loved the language as much as anyone has, and through his writings, he helped set our expectations of the upper limits of what professional athletes can achieve, He made it all look as effortless as he did when it came to netminding, and Hockey Canada recognizing athletes’ noble pursuits of the greater good would be a wonderful way to pay homage to Dryden.
Needless to say, Dryden’s erudite observations are going to be missed, but we can remember him fondly, and a Hockey Canada Ken Dryden Lifetime Achievement Award would help keep his memory vibrant and lasting. At a time when literacy is a precious thing, we need to have our public figures understand what it means to communicate with your head and your heart all at once. That’s what Dryden brought to the table, as an author and otherwise. He was gifted with great height and great stature, but his intellect and command of communication tools may be where he was most gifted.
There’s no rush to put together a lifetime achievement award in honor of Dryden. If anyone understood how to put forth calm and considered arguments, it was him. He never did anything with haste, but he always had a sense of urgency to whatever he put his mind to, always fighting the good fight because it was the right thing to do.
So after hockey’s gatekeepers do some deliberating, it would in due course be terrific to acknowledge Dryden as the difference-maker that he was, on the ice and off it. No NHLer was better with the written word, and Dryden's lifetime of achievement is deserving of being one of the greatest honors any athlete or any person could receive.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.