As preparations continue for YCW, Goderich remembers Ken Dryden

In the obituary for Ken Dryden in the Montreal Gazette an homage to this great athlete was made: “Great athletes are uncommon. Great athletes who are also great people are even more so”.

Dryden, who died September 6 at the age of 78, was the featured guest at the opening of the Goderich Lions Young Canada Week (YCW) hockey tournament in 2005.

He and fellow Canadien Jean Belliveau have to rank at the top of the list of celebrities who have come to Goderich for the tournament throughout the years.

The review of Dryden’s achievements illustrates his greatness.

In hockey, he was the winner of six Stanley Cups, five Vezina Trophies, the Calder Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Dryden played an important role in the 1972 series against the USSR; he served as the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs and is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was a lawyer, a Member of Parliament (MP), an accomplished author and a recipient of the Order of Canada Award.

I have a little story from his appearance at YCW in 2005.

Dryden and Larry Jeffrey officiated at the official puck drop and I sang the national anthem at the ceremony.

When I went to the gathering following the ceremony, I found my family members already engaged in conversation with Mr. Dryden.

I joined them and in meeting him, I commented that I had sung the national anthem, more to identify myself than hoping for praise. After all, he had heard the anthem sung many times by the legendary Roger Doucet on the ice during his career at the Montreal Forum.

The diplomatic reply from this accomplished gentleman known for his sense of humour was succinct – “Yes, you did”, was all he said. I also had his book with me, praising his work.

Dryden wrote ‘The Game’, which is recognized as perhaps the best-ever book about hockey.

A statement was made in his obituary to honour his talents as a writer: “He could write about the game as beautifully as he played it”.

When meeting me, Dryden seemed genuinely delighted with my praise of his book and gladly posed for a picture showing him autographing the book for me. It was a wonderful moment during the 2005 YCW.

Preparations continue for the upcoming 75th Young Canada Week celebrations.

A Hockey Hall of Fame display featuring Goderich’s Jeff Denomme, the CEO of the Hall since 1986 and is retiring this year, is one endeavour.

Exhibition games by teams in the newly organized WOAA ‘A’ category is another feature.

Monday, March 16, 2026, has been designated as Young Canada Hockey Day with an NHL alumni game involved.

A Facebook page ‘75th Young Canada Week’ has been instituted and former players, coaches and fans are invited to post stories.