In September 1972, Ken Dryden was a 25-year-old star goaltender with his name already on the Stanley Cup and a Conn-Smythe Trophy in his pocket. While he enjoyed many other successes thereafter, the events he experienced that month deeply marked the athlete and the man he became.
Fifty years later, the former member of the Montreal Canadiens and author has taken up writing again to recount his memories, sometimes vague, but above all the feelings he keeps from the historic confrontation between Canada and the Soviet Union, in a book titled The Series of the Century. As I lived it.
And it’s not an exercise in nostalgia on the part of one of the actors of the event, but a way of making a whole generation discover why this series of matches is considered “the most important hockey, not just Canadian hockey, but also international hockey.
“As the title suggests, it’s the story of what I remember, my personal feelings, explains Dryden during a telephone interview with The Canadian Press. This is what remains of my memories 50 years later. It’s not always the most important events, but that’s what comes back to me. »
The six-time Stanley Cup champion with the Canadiens in the 1970s also seeks to offer a living testimony to younger people who have heard a lot about this series, but who may tend to question the memories of their elders.
“The population of Canada in 1972 was 22 million, now we are about 38 million. So there are only probably 12 or 13 million [de personnes] in the country who are old enough to have a personal memory of this series. What about everyone else? I lived it, and I give them the opportunity to experience what happened by sharing my feelings at the time. »
Foiled by COVID
Dryden admits having had his ear pulled before getting down to the task. He had the impression that everything had already been said, written and analyzed concerning the subject.
“I never intended to write this book and I was even opposed to it, because I was asked to do so several times,” admits the member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. I had other projects to do, and writing a book takes time. »
But the COVID-19 pandemic has changed that.
“It all happened by accident, before Christmas 2020. With the borders closed, I was unable to visit my children and grandchildren in the United States. A lot of things were put on hold, and I was like, “OK, if I write this book, how am I going to write it?” And that gives this book. »
After a context that explains why this series of eight games — four in Canada and four in the Soviet Union — is so important in the annals of Canadian sport, Dryden expresses his emotions throughout the book.
“I knew hockey and its importance to Canadians,” he wrote. […] I knew this would be a historic series before it even started, not only because it was the first time the best had faced the best, but also because every Canadian would have their eyes on those eight games. And the series had become even more historic, even more captivating, when the Russians had started winning and they had made a real duel. »
He recalls the confusion that assailed him at the turn of events, before the fourth game, presented in Vancouver: “It was not easy either to admit that, after three games, the series was equal: a victory, a loss and a draw. […] The Russians seemed to master the fundamental elements of our sport better than us: speed, passing, defending goals, esprit de corps. »
The book also contains photos, mostly in black and white, and a few archival documents, such as the letter from the NHL Players’ Association notifying players of their selection to Team Canada.
The reader who followed the series in 1972 will certainly relive with pleasure the key moments that marked the eight games, while the younger generations will better understand why the event occupies such a place in the history of hockey.