Surprising Rookie Goaltenders in the Playoffs: Canadiens' Ken Dryden

Dryden became an icon in Montreal after his heroics as a rookie in the 1971 Playoffs, winning his first of six Stanley Cups

Every year, the playoffs entertain fans with at least one underdog story that captures the hearts and minds of everyone watching. This year, it’s Vancouver Canucks rookie goaltender Arturs Silovs, who unexpectedly took over the crease from Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith in the first round and is now only two wins away from the Western Conference Final.

In the spirit of that, I thought it would be fun to look back at other heroic performances by rookie goaltenders in the playoffs. And of course, we have to start with the now-legendary Ken Dryden who famously carried the Montreal Canadiens to their 15th Stanley Cup in 1971.

Dryden’s Journey Before the 1971 Playoffs

Selected 14th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1964 NHL Amateur Draft (and traded to the Canadiens two weeks later), Dryden spent three seasons with Cornell University where he had a sparkling 2.24 goals-against average (GAA) and .939 save percentage (SV%) along with 13 shutouts. His record was also an insane 78-4-1.

Dryden joined the Canadiens’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Montreal Voyageurs, for the 1970-71 season where he played 33 games before getting called up to the Canadiens for the final six games of the season.

Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens (Photo by Denis Brodeur/NHLI/via Getty Images)

Dryden made an instant impression on Canadiens fans going 6-0-0 to close out the campaign with a 1.65 GAA and .957 SV% heading into the playoffs. Even though the Habs had veteran Rogie Vachon healthy for the start of the first round, head coach Al MacNeil decided to go with the hot hand and started Dryden for Game 1 against the Boston Bruins. The rest, as they say, is history.