Ken Dryden

At the end of the 1970-71 season, Dryden was called up from the minors to play for the Canadiens. He was the first Ivy League graduate to play in the NHL. He started in six games at the end of the season, and gave up only nine goals. Dryden was played to give their veteran number one goaltender Rogie Vachon a break—he had not played consistently through the season—and test Dryden's mettle. Because of Dryden's success in those games, he was picked to start in goal in the playoffs by coach Al MacNeil.

MacNeil made a wise choice. Dryden helped the Canadiens defeat the Boston Bruins in a tough seven game series. They then defeated the Minnesota North Stars in six games and the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games. Though Dryden had some rough patches, he and the Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup. In twenty playoff games, Dryden posted a 3.00 goals against average, the highest of his career. He was also awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.

After winning the Cup, Dryden continued to forge his own path. He went to Washington D.C. to be one of Ralph Nader's Raiders, fighting for fisherman who wanted clean water. Dryden continued to do this in other ways in Canada when he returned to the Canadiens in the fall.