One of the most iconic hockey cards of all time is celebrating it’s 50th birthday this season.
The Ken Dryden 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee and Topps rookie cards were first ripped from real wax as the sweet aroma of delicious, yet sometimes crispy, sticks of gum tingled the senses of collectors.
The Dryden rookie card is widely considered the premier hockey card of the 1970s. Just as hockey fans will debate whether or not Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr or Gordie Howe is the greatest player of all time, Ken Dryden is often in the discussions for the greatest goalie of all time. Some will argue for Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, Dominik Hasek or even Jacques Plante or Terry Sawchuk. But no goalie came close to dominating a complete decade the way Dryden dominated the 1970s.
Iconic Set
The 1971-72 O-Pee-Chee hockey set has a design that is one of the most memorable of the decade. The photos are posed shots inside an oval frame. There is a bright, background behind the player. The remarkable thing about this set is we were about a quarter century away from Mac programs like Quark Xpress or Adobe Photo Shop being used by trading card design teams. The color separations on these cards were done the old-fashioned way – layers of negatives and talented artists wielding exacto knives and opaque brushes.
The set also marks the first time that the Topps and O-Pee-Chee card backs have different designs. The O-Pee-Chee backs include a block of stats with an English bio above and a French bio below. The right side of the card includes vital stats as well as a cartoon.
The Dryden rookie card stands out because it is not a posed photo. It is a game photo of him preparing for what looks like an oncoming rush. His image is clipped and imposed on the same yellow background used on all Montreal Canadiens cards.
Also important to note is that goaltenders, more than any other position in any sport, including NFL quarterbacks, carry a premium. Goalies are collectible, and cards of great goalies are highly sought after in the market. Dryden’s first mask is iconic, and the fact that he is wearing a mask in the photo only adds to this special card.
“I wore that mask for the first few years in the NHL,” Dryden said in an interview with this writer in 1995. “It didn’t really offer much protection. I know the mask is really popular among fans because it is unique, but it’s amazing that I was able to play for so long wearing that mask and not suffer a serious injury.”
Rookie Year
While most players in that era got their rookie card in their second NHL season, Dryden was technically a rookie during his rookie card year. That helped fuel demand for that card during the 1971-72 season, as well as throughout the entire decade.
In 1964, Dryden was drafted 14th overall by the Boston Bruins. Just days after selecting him, the Bruins traded Dryden and second overall pick Alex Campbell for Montreal draft picks Paul Reid and Guy Allen. Of the four 1964 picks, Dryden was the only player who would make the NHL. Dryden was told by his agent he had been drafted by Montreal. He did not find out until the mid-1970s that he was actually selected by Boston.
Dryden went to Cornell University and was a star for the Big Red. He and fellow Hall of Fame Joe Nieuwendyk are the only players to ever have their numbers retired at Cornell. Dryden led Cornell to the 1967 NCAA championship and backstopped three straight ECAC tournament titles.
After an impressive 1970-71 season with the Montreal Voyageurs of the AHL – the team would move to Nova Scotia the following season – Dryden earned a call-up by the Canadiens at the end of the 1970-71 season. He saw the call-up as a reward and did not expect to play.
However, Montreal’s starting goalie, Rogie Vachon, suffered an injury. Dryden was given his first NHL start March 20, 1971. It was against the Buffalo Sabres, who started back-up goalie Dave Dryden. To this day, it is the only time two brothers have faced each other as starting goalies in an NHL game. Dave also has a card in the 1971-72 OPC set.
Dryden won that game, and then went on to win five more. He had a .957 save percentage and a 1.65 goals against average. The Canadiens got into the playoffs but would have to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins, having one of the best years in NHL history. Phil Esposito scored an NHL record 76 goals and had a record 152 points in 78 games that season, and Bobby Orr had his best year in the NHL with 139 points in 78 games, winning his second Hart Trophy as MVP and setting an NHL record with 102 assists.
Montreal coach Claude Ruel played a hunch and chose to put his red hot rookie in goal rather than his star goalie. Dryden played the series of his life, and the Canadiens upset the Bruins 4-3 in their seven-game series. Esposito famously commented after the series that he couldn’t believe he only scored three goals in seven games on “the giraffe,” referring to Dryden’s 6’4” frame.
Dryden continued his run in the semi-finals as the Canadiens beat the Minnesota North Stars in six games. In the Stanley Cup finals, Dryden shut down Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and the Chicago Black Hawks – the team would later change their name to Blackhawks – to win the Stanley Cup.
Despite only playing six NHL regular season games and being in the league for less than a month, Dryden had won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL Playoff MVP. He had gone from an unknown to a household name in a matter of weeks. His trademark pose of leaning on his stick when play was in the other end was hockey’s version of Mark Fidrych manicuring the pitcher’s mound and talking to the baseball.
Dryden did not know this until he retired, but the great Georges Vezina used to lean on his stick the same way early in the 20th century.
In his actual rookie season, Dryden led NHL goalies in games played and wins, with 64 games and a 39-8-15 record. His 2.24 goals against average was fourth in the league, and he was named NHL Second Team All-Star with Tony Esposito named First Team All-Star. The Canadiens lost in the quarterfinals to the New York Rangers. Boston, not having to face Dryden, would beat the Rangers in six games in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Dryden won the Calder Trophy that year, making him the first and only major athlete to be the MVP of the championship series the year before being named Rookie of the Year. Had the Tampa Bay Rays won the 2020 World Series, Randy Arozarena may have accomplished the same feat.
Brilliant But Short Career
Ken Dryden only played seven full NHL seasons plus the six games in his first year of pro hockey. The year after winning the Calder Trophy, he won his first Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie. He led the Canadiens to the 1972-73 Stanley Cup, which would be Dryden’s second of six with Montreal in his career.
“There have always been comparisons between Patrick Roy’s career and Ken Dryden’s career,” said legendary longtime Montreal Canadiens broadcaster Dick Irvin during a 1994 interview with me. “When Patrick Roy won the Stanley Cup in 1986 and 1993, he was the player that carried the team. He was the difference. The same could be said for Ken Dryden in his first playoffs. He stole the playoff series from Boston in the first round in 1971, and then was the difference in the Stanley Cup Finals that year.
“Later on in Ken’s career, he was playing behind one of the best hockey teams ever assembled. He was a big part of the 1976-79 Stanley Cup run, but he was not the player who singlehandedly won Stanley Cups like he did early in his career and like Roy did with the Canadiens.”
Dryden took the 1973-74 season off to article for his law degree, working for a salary of $7,500. He returned to the NHL the following year, and retired after the 1978-79 season. In just over seven seasons, he had a 258-57-74 record for a .743 win percentage. Had there been overtime in Dryden’s era, it’s almost a given that he would have reached the 300-win milestone. He had a career 2.24 goals against average, a .922 save percentage, 46 shutouts, and he was a First Team All-Star five times and a Vezina Trophy winner four times.
Post Career
Although he retired early, Dryden has remained visible in hockey and to the public. While most hockey fans know the famous Al Michaels “Do you believe in miracles?” call of the 1980 Miracle on Ice game between the Soviet Union and the United States, many have forgotten that Dryden was the color commentator on the broadcast.
One thing Dryden has not done is appearances at shows. While players like Bobby Hull and the late Gordie Howe were popular guests when the hobby grew in the 1990s, Dryden avoided the hobby. His autograph is one of the toughest to get among players from that era.
Dryden has also become a noted author of eight books, a teacher, President of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a Canadian Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister. For the past decade, he has been teaching at his alma matter, McGill University in Montreal.
Rookie Card Pops and Values
The high-end populations of O-Pee-Chee and Topps Dryden rookie cards are remarkably similar. There are 11 of each graded PSA 10. The company has graded 62 OPC PSA 9s and 86 of the Topps version. The population of NM/MT 8s is where the greatest difference lies with the Topps version having a population that’s roughly double the OPC version (364/180).
The O-Pee-Chee version of Dryden’s rookie card is the more valuable of the two. One of the 11 PSA 10 copies sold for $19,800 in December of 2020. Mint 9 examples have been quite volatile but it’s safe to say they’ve doubled in the last couple of years. 8s are bringing $1,500-$2,400 and 7s are still generally under $900.
A PSA 10 Topps Dryden rookie sold for $3,500 in 2020. 9s have inched over $1,000 lately, which is about three times the pre-2020 price. PSA 8s of the Topps version have inched back into the $350-$450 range after trading for over $800 at times in 2021.
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