It's the time to #takeamoment, breathe, enjoy Saturday Night Hockey and one of the defining book of hockey. #survivingdecember
It's the time to #takeamoment, breathe, enjoy Saturday Night Hockey and one of the defining book of hockey. #survivingdecember
Ken Dryden gave a fascinating talk at the Library and Archives this evening to launch his latest book, Game Change. I ran into an old colleague too, and his chat with Ken led to Ken flipping through my book to find a locally relevant passage about skating on the Gatineau River 😊
Reading this with the windows open so it feels like I'm actually in a hockey rink. Brrrrrr
I think we all know a world leader who could have used some life experiences like this in his youth. Maybe he would have learned not to be so afraid of other people and their culture.
Last night I dreamt I was BFFs with Ken Dryden! He was doing some sort of panel discussion and I managed to chat with him before the event. He was super nice. Would love to meet him for real!
This is an excellent book. Dryden writes well and shows great affection for his teammates and thoughtfulness about his life. Even if you don't like actual sports, he has some interesting thoughts about celebrity and career choices and the relationship between sports and society.
Photo demonstrating Dryden's classic "resting" stance -- standing in front of the net with his hands on top of the hockey stick. I can't get over how small the pads and mask are, and how he is not wearing a helmet! ? How things have changed.
Photo found on habseyesontheprize.com.
And some interesting thoughts on celebrity. Side note: it's hard to hold open a mass market paperback to take pictures of the pages!
From a section in which Dryden talks about the "suburbanization" of hockey, how it has moved from a fun pastime played in backyard rinks and on ponds to a regimented activity played in rinks and according to a fixed schedule (and is now played year-round with little respite).
Just learned that Ken Dryden is 6 foot 4! Holy cow! Granted, it is an advantage for a goalie to be tall, but I didn't think he was THAT tall.
Very true. I do find it weird to be in my early 30s, the same age as Dryden when he retired, and try to imagine what that retirement would feel like.
This was Montreal in the lead-up to the 1980 referendum. Language is still an issue in Quebec today.