Ken Dryden stirs memories of '72 Summit Series in new book

Ken Dryden didn't want to write about the 1972 Summit Series.

Then COVID-19 hit.

With the borders closed and his kids and grandkids living in the U.S., his plans for Christmas 2020 quickly changed.

"So I had a few days where I wasn't doing what I was imagining that we would be doing. I just said, 'OK, if I was to write what I'm not going to write, what would I write?"' Dryden told The Canadian Press.

Relying solely on his own memories, he sat down and, "in a kind of a frenzy," wrote his latest book: "The Series: What I Remember, What it Felt Like, What it Feels Like Now." The hardcover was published Tuesday by McClelland & Stewart.

Over 192 beautiful pages, the book combines one player's memories of the Summit Series with photos, letters and other mementoes to give the reader a deeply personal glimpse at eight games that united a nation.

There's a postcard sent to Timmins, Ont., by a Canadian who attended a game in Moscow. There are editorial cartoons that depicted the differences between Canadian and Russian hockey fans. There's a scrap of envelope on which Canadian winger Frank Mahovlich drew up a play.

These are the images Dryden and the rest of the team didn't get to see nearly 50 years ago.

"It's like `holy cow,"' he said. "We were in Moscow at that time. I would never have guessed that people would be watching in quite that way."

Another item that captured Dryden's attention was a journal entry from a young Igor Kuperman, chronicling in Russian every detail of Game 5, from the goals to the jerseys worn by each side.

In the entry, the author saw a universal experience.

Dryden lets readers into his own personal journey, too, detailing in vivid colour what he remembers — and what he doesn't — of the late summer and