Political world pays tribute to Ken Dryden, remembered for his public service

The death of Montreal Canadiens legend Ken Dryden resonated in political circles on Saturday where the former NHL great left his mark as a long-standing member of Parliament and former Liberal cabinet minister.

The Montreal Canadiens organization announced Dryden’s death shortly after 12:30 a.m. Saturday. He died Friday at age 78 following a battle with cancer.

Dryden left the Toronto Maple Leafs organization to run federally in 2004 for the Liberal Party of Canada, elected in the Toronto riding of York Centre.

He was named minister of social development minister in former prime minister Paul Martin’s cabinet. His former chief of staff tells The Canadian Press that his curiosity and his ease with others helped him navigate the political world.

“A lot of people would have commented that he seemed to be a fish out of water (as an MP), but I’m starting to think it was perhaps the water that was different and not the fish so much,” said Mark Watton.

“He was genuinely interested in everyone he met including his colleagues around the cabinet table, his staff, his colleagues in Parliament and the advocates or constituents or others who he would come across.”

It was that insatiable curiosity exhibited by Dryden that made him stand out, Watton said.

“Even though he was most passionate about the social policy matters that we’re in front of him as the minister of social development, he was genuinely curious about everything else around the cabinet table,” Watton said.

Dryden held onto his seat in Toronto’s York Centre riding in 2006 when the Liberals were ousted and made a bid for the open Liberal leadership with Martin’s departure, ultimately losing.

Lise Jolicoeur, a former press secretary in Ottawa who would later go on to work on Dryden’s leadership bid, recalled two instances where his humanity and decency stood out during his interactions with her.

At one time during the Martin government, a colleague mentioned Dryden wanted to speak to her after question period. She had been undergoing colon cancer treatments at the time.

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“And I was like, what in God’s name does Ken Dryden want to talk to me about personally about? Right? Like this was odd for a cabinet minister to ask a press secretary for a chat,” Jolicoeur recalled.

He came to ask her specifically about her cancer fight.

“The fact that he took the time was just, it just tells you that kind of person that he is, he’s a busy man, he was in politics, he was trying to get the child care deal done, there’s a lot of things going on,” Jolicoeur said.

“But he took the time and noticed me and took the time to talk to me about it, which I found very telling of the man.”

Jolicoeur would go on to serve press secretary for Dryden’s leadership bid where she ended up fighting ovarian cancer during the campaign. As he criss-crossed the country during his bid, he made sure to make time to visit her in hospital during an Ottawa stop. It was just Dryden as he was.

“In every conversation you had with the man, it was always about you. You’re talking to this hero, Canadian legend … but he never made you feel that way. He always wanted to know about you,” Jolicoeur said.

Dryden won his federal seat again in 2008, but lost in 2011 to the Conservatives.

Prime Minister Mark Carney paid tribute to Dryden: “a Canadian hockey legend and hall of famer, public servant and inspiration.”

“His return to university at the height of his playing career taught the importance of balance in life. His post-hockey career demonstrated the value of public service,” Carney said.

“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country.

“Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada,” Carney added.

Pablo Rodriguez, a former Montreal Liberal MP elected the same year as Dryden, remembered Dryden as an exceptional, deeply human individual.

“Ken was a giant at all levels,” Rodriguez, currently the leader of the Liberal Party of Quebec, in an interview.

“He was a giant on the ice, but also giant physically, like he was 6-foot-4, the type of person you don’t want to be behind in a picture … but he was so kind, so kind, he was there to help caucus members and to listen to you.”

Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc recalled how the legendary netminder and hockey icon became his caucus colleague and cabinet minister 30 years later, championing policies such as early learning and child care.

“I will also never forget the moments when he rose to speak in the House of Commons — sitting at the desk in front of me,” LeBlanc said on X. “His iconic reputation, impressive physical stature, booming voice, thoughtful ideas and kind personality allowed him to dominate that arena as well.”

In Quebec and Montreal, where Dryden was a local legend, Quebec Premier François Legault also paid tribute.

“Like millions of Quebecers, I grew up admiring Ken Dryden,” Legault wrote on X. “Six-time Stanley Cup champion with the Habs, what an achievement! Author, MP, minister, he marked our history and an entire generation.”