Tributes pour in for hockey legend, former politician and author Ken Dryden

Tributes are pouring in from across Canada and beyond after former Montreal Canadiens goalie Ken Dryden — a legend of Canadian hockey — died at the age of 78.

Prime Minister Mark Carney was one of the first to take to social media to share his condolences.

"Ken Dryden was the reason I became a goalie, although I never mastered his ability to lean on his stick let alone keep the puck out of the net," Carney said in a post on X.

He said Dryden's legacy went far beyond his Hall of Fame playing career, pointing to his balance of education, public service and sport as a model for Canadians.

"Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country," the prime minister said. "Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace."

Ken Dryden, Hall of Fame goaltender, dies of cancer at age 78

Dryden won six Stanley Cups with the Habs during the team's 1970s dynasty. He was also feted for helping backstop Canada's generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union.

Former teammate Serge Savard recalled the six-foot-four-inch goaltender's entry into the league in 1971 as a 23-year-old rookie straight out of Cornell University and into the storied Montreal Canadiens dressing room.

Savard recalled that Dryden would come to the dressing room with books under his arm and attend McGill University after practise.

He said in an interview that many of his battle-hardened teammates would come to realize that Dryden was just ahead of his time.

A lawyer, author, politician and NHL executive, Dryden left an indelible mark across large swaths of wider Canadian society. He was invested as an officer of the Order of Canada in May 2013.

Gov. Gen. Mary Simon said Dryden dedicated his life to advancing