The Alpha in the Crease | FEATURE

Martin Brodeur's face lights up at the memory. It didn't take him more than half a second to step back into that memory of shaking hands and meeting the legendary goaltender, Ken Dryden, for the first and only time. It left an indelible mark on him.

Despite growing up in Montreal, where Dryden remains an immortal figure, it took until Brodeur was in his early 20s before he met the Canadiens legend.

"It was probably my rookie or second year in the league," he recounted. "And there's this Canadian Society of New York, and Lou (Lamoriello) invited me to an event where Ken Dryden was being honored."

And how does Brodeur remember the encounter?

"It was probably the best day of my life," Brodeur said. "I could not believe I was meeting Ken Dryden, this great goalie, the Montreal Canadien, a guy who was in the parliament, it was just so amazing to meet him."

It's why it was an added shock when Brodeur heard the news that Dryden, a six-time Stanley Cup winner and five-time Vezina Trophy winner, passed away at the age of 78, as announced by the Montreal Canadiens.

The thread between Dryden and Brodeur was stitched together long before Brodeur ever pulled on his gear as a kid. It traces back to his father, Denis.

With a camera in hand, Denis Brodeur chronicled the Montreal Canadiens for more than half a century, turning fleeting moments into lasting memories. And it was through his eye, his lens, that the game’s most iconic portrait of Dryden was born—a single image that came to define a legend.

"He was such an iconic figure in Montreal," Brodeur said. "Obviously, with the mask, with the pose, you know, that the whole thing." 'The pose' being the cool-as-a-cucumber, relaxed pose Dryden would assume during games, leaning his chin on top of his glove and blocker that covered the top of the stick.

It was a moment captured time and again by the camera's lens, with none other than Brodeur's father Denis, clicking the shutter. Denis was the Montreal Canadiens photographer for well over 50 years, freezing in time some of the greatest of Hall of Fame careers, including all eight of Dryden's seasons.

Although Dryden's career was over before Martin Brodeur could remember seeing him play, Brodeur was just seven years old when Dryden retired in 1979, Dryden was still a larger-than-life figure whose name carried the weight of championships and history. For Brodeur, it wasn’t just meeting a hockey hero all those years ago. To so many, Brodeur is the greatest of all time, but for Brodeur, there is little question it's Dryden. Although Brodeur grew up with fellow Hall of Fame member Patrick Roy as an idol, Dryden was at the top.

"He was so successful; you look at it, he won six Stanley Cups in just eight seasons. That’s crazy. He was the alpha," Brodeur said, reaching his hand way above his head to illustrate just how high above everyone else Dryden is, in his mind's eye.

Dryden last played in the NHL in 1979, retiring with six Stanley Cups and five Vezina Trophies as the league’s top goaltender, an impressive set of accomplishments packed into just eight seasons. Even when stacked against Brodeur’s resume of NHL records for wins (691), shutouts (125), games played (1,266), and 12 seasons with 30-plus victories, Dryden’s brief, but brilliant run stands alone.

The numbers say it all.

“We remember him because of that,” Brodeur said of Dryden’s extraordinary career. “Not like me, where you milk it for 25 years!”

It’s the kind of career path no one will ever see again.

“There’s no way. Today’s game, absolutely impossible,” Brodeur said, shaking his head.

After all, there’s only room for one alpha in the crease.