Ken Dryden Would Hate Cornell Hockey

Ken Dryden's book, The Game, is interesting on so many levels. The discussion of NHL locker room and bus life; Dryden's professed dominance of Harvard, BU, the Bruins, all things Boston; his annoyance at reporters' questions about differences between him and the rest of the team; competition with other goalies on the team; contracts, salaries, and trades; the rivalry with the Soviets; etc.

Enough time has passed so that we can also view The Game as aN historical text; when Dryden writes about teammates passing out newspapers to read on the team bus, it's clear that he is writing about a different era. Dryden hardly mentions his family, which is quite different from any sort of memoir today. Above all, Dryden's teammates on the Canadiens seemed to be much closer to each other than we imagine to be true of current athletes.

The last chapter of Dryden's book came as a bit of a surprise to me. He stops discussing his life as a hockey player and switches to a historiographical essay about the history of hockey. Dryden seems downright depressed at the types of changes which were made to the game of hockey during the middle of the twentieth century. He doesn't like the rule changes, and he doesn't like the expansion of the NHL.

Most significantly, Dryden rails against the very attributes that define Schafer-era Cornell hockey. Dryden laments that the legalization of the forward pass has persuaded teams to abandon passing into the offensive zone, and instead engage in dump-and-chase. He complains that the introduction of hockey to American cities and media markets has forced the game in a more physical, violent direction. Unlike high-brow Canadian audiences, who appreciated the game's skillful passing and grace, Americans want to see more hitting and fighting. Dryden seems nostalgic for the time when players played 2-3 minute shifts.

Sound familiar? Let's see here... Cornell teams love to dump and chase, to battle for the puck in corners. They've earned a reputation for playing a slow, physical game which wears down opponents. And, during key situations, Schafer maniacally changes his lines to gain what he thinks will be an advantage. Not exactly what Dryden would love.

(Ned Dykes)

Of course, this book was written in the late 1970s, so it's quite possible that Dryden's opinions about hockey have changed. Cornell hockey has certainly changed from that time. But it was comical to read Dryden's thoughts on these types of plays which have come to define Cornell hockey.

Dryden's book is a fascinating read, especially for a Cornell hockey fan. Certainly recommended.