New Releases by Ken Dryden

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Shortlisted for the 2024 Speaker’s Book Award From bestselling author Ken Dryden, a riveting new book. On Tuesday, September 6, 1960, the day after Labour Day, class 9G at Etobicoke Collegiate Institute in a suburb of Toronto assembled for the first time. Its thirty-five students, having written special exams, came to be known as the “Selected Class.” They would stay together through high school, with few exceptions. They would spend more than two hundred days a year together. Few had known each other before. Few have been in other than accidental contact in all the decades since. Their ancestors were almost all from working-class backgrounds. Their parents had lived their formative years through depression and war. They themselves were born into a postwar world of new homes, new schools, new churches. New suburbs. Of new classes like this one. Of boundless possibilities. When almost anything seems within reach, what do we reach for? Ken Dryden was one of these thirty-five. In his varied, improbable life, he had wondered often how he had gotten from there to here. How any of us do. He decided to try and find his classmates, to see how they are, what they are doing, how life has been for them. They talked many long hours, in a way they had never talked before. Most had married, some divorced, most have kids, many have grandkids. This is the story of a place, a time, and so much more.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER A new book by Hall of Fame goalie and bestselling author Ken Dryden celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series SEPTEMBER 2, 1972, MONTREAL FORUM, GAME ONE: The best against the best for the first time. Canada, the country that had created the game; the Soviet Union, having taken it up only twenty-six years earlier. On the line: more than the players, more than the fans, more than Canadians and Russians knew. So began an entirely improbable, near-month-long series of games that became more and more riveting, until, for the eighth, and final, and deciding game—on a weekday, during work and school hours all across the country—the nation stopped. Of Canada’s 22 million people, 16 million watched. Three thousand more were there, in Moscow, behind the Iron Curtain, singing—Da da, Ka-na-da, nyet, nyet, So-vi-yet! It is a story long told, often told. But never like this. Ken Dryden, a goalie in the series, a lifetime observer, later a writer, tells the story in “you are there” style, as if he is living it for the first time. As if you, the reader, are too. The series, as it turned out, is the most important moment in hockey history, changing the game, on the ice and off, everywhere in the world. As it turned out, it is one of the most significant events in all of Canada’s history. Through Ken Dryden’s words, we understand why.

Le match est considéré comme le meilleur livre jamais écrit sur le hockey, et l’un des meilleurs ouvrages de tous les temps sur le sport. Plus qu’un simple livre de hockey, Le match s’est imposé comme un classique incontournable — un regard à la fois profond et provocant sur la vie de hockeyeur et sur le sport lui-même. Ken Dryden, membre du Temple de la renommée du hockey et du Panthéon des sports canadiens, est reconnu comme l’un des plus grands gardiens de but de l’ère moderne. En outre, il est l’un des commentateurs les plus intelligents et perspicaces du monde du hockey. Dans Le match, Dryden arrive à saisir l’essence de ce sport et sa signification profonde pour tous les amateurs. Il peint pour nous des portraits vivants et chaleureux des principaux acteurs — Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe et l’instructeur Scotty Bowman entre autres — qui ont fait des Canadiens des années 70 l’une des plus grandes équipes de l’histoire. De plus, Dryden réfléchit à la vie sur la route, sous les feux de la rampe et sur la patinoire, nous offrant un regard privilégié sur le hockey et un témoignage profondément personnel. Offrez-vous un voyage dans le passé, au coeur et dans l’âme du jeu grâce à ce classique immortel du hockey.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BC NATIONAL AWARD FOR CANADIAN NON-FICTION A GLOBE AND MAIL BEST BOOK From the bestselling author and Hall of Famer Ken Dryden, this is the story of NHLer Steve Montador—who was diagnosed with CTE after his death in 2015—the remarkable evolution of hockey itself, and a passionate prescriptive to counter its greatest risk in the future: head injuries. Ken Dryden’s The Game is acknowledged as the best book about hockey, and one of the best books about sports ever written. Then came Home Game (with Roy MacGregor), also a major TV-series, in which he explored hockey’s significance and what it means to Canada and Canadians. Now, in his most powerful and important book yet, Game Change, Ken Dryden tells the riveting story of one player’s life, examines the intersection between science and sport, and expertly documents the progression of the game of hockey—where it began, how it got to where it is, where it can go from here and, just as exciting to play and watch, how it can get there.

"From bestselling author and Hall of Fame player Ken Dryden comes the unparalleled life story of the greatest coach in hockey history, Scotty Bowman. Scotty Bowman is universally heralded as the greatest coach in hockey history, and is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in all of sports. He holds the record for most wins and most Stanley Cups as a head coach and is the only NHL coach to lead three different teams to a championship. He has seen all of hockey's great players--from "The Rocket" to Gordie Howe to the young stars that play today--and has witnessed firsthand what makes a team click. However, for all of his accomplishments and his legendary stature in the game of hockey, we know very little about who Scotty Bowman is. Now, Hall of Fame player and the former goaltender of Scotty's Montreal Canadiens team, Ken Dryden, takes us inside the mind of hockey's ultimate coach. We see Scotty as a child in his hometown of Verdun, Quebec, as a teenager racing to a spot in the old Montreal Forum to witness Richard's scoring prowess, and as an up and coming hockey mind, tapped on the shoulder to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Montreal coach Toe Blake. Interwoven through the narrative of Scotty's life story are the profiles of the eight best teams in NHL history in Bowman's eyes, as the coach describes what makes these particular teams stand out from the rest. And, because it's in a coach's competitive nature, these eight teams are pitted against one another in a winner-take-all tournament, where Scotty will determine once and for all which team is the greatest team in NHL history, and why." --

Kaikkien aikojen parhaaksi jääkiekkokirjaksi mainittu klassikkoteos nyt suomeksi. Älykkömaalivahdiksi kutsutusta Drydenista tuli aikanaan Montreal Canadiensin 1970-luvun Stanley Cup -voittojen takuumies. Dryden pelasi urallaan 397 ottelua, joista hävisi ainoastaan 57. Vastaavaan voittosuhteeseen ei ole pystynyt yksikään NHL-maalivahti. Muistelmateos kuvailee elävästi jääkiekkoilijan elämää tien päällä, pukuhuoneissa, kaukaloissa ja julkisuuden valokeilassa. Lukija pääsee ainutlaatuisella tavalla osalliseksi siitä, mikä ajaa pelaajaa uusiin suorituksiin joka päivä. Ken Drydenin älykäs, oivaltava ja ajatuksia herättävä kirja tavoittaa jääkiekon syvimmän olemuksen ja sen merkityksen miljoonille faneille. Ennen kaikkea teos on loistava kuvaus siitä pelistä, jota jokainen urheilija pelaa omassa päässään. Ken Drydenin sanoin: ”Maalivahdin pahin vihollinen on hän itse.” Kenneth Wayne ”Ken” Dryden (s.1947) on entinen kanadalainen jääkiekkoilija ja nykyinen kansanedustaja, lakimies, kirjailija ja liikemies.

Widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written and lauded by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of All Time, The Game is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey. Ken Dryden, the former Montreal Canadiens goalie and former president of the Toronto Maple Leafs, captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans. He gives vivid and affectionate portraits of the characters—Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, and coach Scotty Bowman among them—who made the Canadiens of the 1970s one of the greatest hockey teams in history. But beyond that, Dryden reflects on life on the road, in the spotlight, and on the ice, offering a rare inside look at the game of hockey and an incredible personal memoir. This commemorative edition marks the 30th anniversary of the book’s original publication, and it includes a new foreword by Bill Simmons, new photography, and a new chapter, “The Game Goes On.” Take a journey to the heart and soul of the game with this timeless hockey classic.

In this passionate, thought-provoking vision for Canada, Ken Dryden argues that we have paid a price for having the wrong sense of ourselves as a country. The old definition of Canada – genial but sometimes too self-deprecating and ambition-killing – is no longer the real story. Through recent global events such as Barack Obama’s election and first year in office; the climate conference in Copenhagen; and even the 2010 Winter Olympics, Dryden explores the clash between politics and story, and the importance of a nation finding its true narrative in order to thrive. By tracing the ups and downs in contemporary Canadian politics, from the Liberal leadership race to Stephen Harper’s Conservative minority governments, Michael Ignatieff’s appointment as Opposition leader, and prorogation, Ken Dryden presciently identifies the obstacles facing Canada. He observes a sea change taking place among Canadians, who want something more for their country. The ambition of Canada’s policies and the nature of our politics will not change, Dryden says, until we conceive of a new story for the nation. Becoming Canada is at once a celebration of Canada and a timely, ardent rallying cry to all Canadians to build upon Canada’s unique place in the world. It is certain to inspire new conversations about our Canada’s identity at home and abroad.

Widely acknowledged as the best hockey book ever written and lauded by Sports Illustrated as one of the Top 10 Sports Books of All Time, The Game is a reflective and thought-provoking look at a life in hockey. Intelligent and insightful, former Montreal Canadiens goalie and former President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ken Dryden captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans. He gives us vivid and affectionate portraits of the characters — Guy Lafleur, Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe, Serge Savard, and coach Scotty Bowman among them — that made the Canadiens of the 1970s one of the greatest hockey teams in history. But beyond that, Dryden reflects on life on the road, in the spotlight, and on the ice, offering up a rare inside look at the game of hockey and an incredible personal memoir. This commemorative edition marks the 20th anniversary of The Game's original publication. It includes black and white photography from the Hockey Hall of Fame and a new chapter from the author. Take a journey to the heart and soul of the game with this timeless hockey classic.

Ken Dryden moves from the personal to the global in setting forth a resolution oriented vision of Canada's role in the 21st century. By drawing upon his own diverse experience, Ken Dryden addresses the question "What is Canada?" Using images and illustrations drawn from sports, politics, and the routine of everyday life, he suggests that the Canadian approach of "finding a way" may well contribute to successful resolution of both local and global challenges. Published in English.

Documentary of the life of a typical Canadian school day, 1993 to 1994.

In October 1983 Ken Dryden gave us what was called the best non-fiction book ever written about hockey - The Game. In that same month Roy MacGregor published what was hailed as the best novel ever written about hockey - The Last Season. In 1989 these two writers teamed up to write another extraordinary book: inspired by Ken Dryden's major CBC-TV series on hockey, Home Game takes us all the way from street hockey to the showdowns between Canada and the Soviets. On publication, Home Game shot to the top of the bestseller lists, establishing itself as must reading for every hockey fan. Not only was this lavish book with over 95 full-colour photographs popular among ordinary Canadians: book reviewers loved it.

Les Canadiens begins on the Plains of Abraham in 1759 when a French-Canadian soldier throws his rifle to his son and it becomes a hockey stick. It ends in the Montreal Forum on the night of November 15, 1976, when Montreal Canadien fans turn a hockey game into an election victory rally for the indépendantiste Parti Québécois. In between, it is a play about Quebec and Canada using hockey as a metaphor--and a play about hockey using Quebec and Canada as its setting. Les Canadiens was commissioned by and first performed at Centaur Theatre in Montreal in February, 1977. The book contains a preface by Ken Dryden, former goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, and an introduction on hockey, politics and theatre by Rick Salutin.