Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour a national hero and a personal idol. Earlier this month, we lost the Hon. Ken Dryden. Ken's story is profoundly Canadian. He was born in Hamilton, grew up in Islington and was the son of a builder and kindergarten teacher. He joined the Islington Hornets in Toronto as a goaltender at the age of seven.
He entered the NHL as a player for the Montreal Canadiens 16 years later.
Ken was the reason I became a goalie, although I never mastered his ability to lean on his stick or to keep the puck out of the net. Ken Dryden was a six-time Stanley Cup champion and five-time Vezina Trophy winner, and he was the only person, and I say this with confidence, who will ever win the Conn Smythe Trophy for most valuable player in the playoffs before they have won the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.
When Ken Dryden entered the NHL, he was already pursuing a law degree at McGill. His former teammates were in awe of Ken's work ethic, bringing textbooks into the dressing room and going to lectures after practice. Exam time and the playoffs overlapped, and in the spring of 1973, a few weeks after winning his second Stanley Cup, he graduated from McGill.
I remember. I was eight years old, and Ken was at the top of his game. He had put his hockey career on hold to go to school and write his bar exams. After he was called to the bar, he won the Stanley Cup another four times.
Few players retire from the National Hockey League to become lawyers, writers, politicians and public servants. After hanging up his skates, Ken dedicated his life to public service. That is why Ken was unique. He dreamed big dreams and pursued them with the kind of focus and determination that served him well.
Some of my dear colleagues here today had the privilege of serving alongside Ken. As a member of Parliament, he served the people of York Centre for seven years. His leadership and dedication to advocating for affordable child care paved the way for future leaders, such as the member for University—Rosedale, to finally institute the system available to families today.
Yes, Ken Dryden believed in solidarity, and that is something we all owe to one another.
Ken Dryden challenged us to dream big and to be bold for our future. As parliamentarians and as Canadians, let us work toward that future with Ken's values of hard work, solidarity and ambition. Few Canadians have given more or stood taller for our country. Ken Dryden was big Canada. Ken Dryden was best Canada.
My deepest condolences to Ken's wife, Lynda, and their two children, Sarah and Michael. Our thanks to them for sharing their husband and father with our country.
May we pick up Ken's torch and hold it high, and may he rest in peace.