MONTREAL (AP) — Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender who helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died after a fight with cancer. He was 78.

The Canadiens announced the death early Saturday, saying Dryden's family asked for privacy. A team spokesperson said a close friend of Dryden's appointed by the family contacted the organization, adding he died peacefully Friday at his home.

“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations.”

Dryden backstopped the NHL’s most successful franchise to championships in seven of his eight seasons in the league from 1970-71 to ’78-79. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, the Vezina as the best goalie five times and the Conn Smythe once as playoff MVP, while being a six-time All-Star.

“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about,” Molson said.

Dryden, from Hamilton, Ontario, played three seasons at Cornell University from 1966-69, leading the Big Red to the 1967 NCAA title. He also was a cornerstone of Canada’s 1972 Summit Series team that defeated the Soviet Union.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media he was “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the Hon. Ken Dryden, a Canadian hockey legend and hall of famer, public servant and inspiration.”

“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country,” Carney said. “Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.”

Dryden entered the NHL in 1971 and spent just six games in the crease before making his NHL postseason debut. He and Montreal went on to upset rival Boston in the first round and beat Chicago in the final.

At 6-foot-4, he revolutionized the position. He also worked at a Toronto firm while sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season — after previously earning a law degree at Montreal’s McGill University.

He ended his playing days at 32, went into broadcasting and wrote “The Game,” one of the best known books about the sport, after publishing “Face-off at the Summit” as part of an accomplished career as an author.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1983.

Dryden is survived by wife Lynda and their two children

Brother Dave Dryden was a longtime NHL and WHA goalie. He died in 2022 at the age of 81.

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