Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender whose long resumé in and out of hockey included six Stanley Cup victories and helping backstop Canada's generation-defining victory at the 1972 Summit Series, died Friday at the age of 78 after a battle with cancer.

A key member of the Montreal Canadiens' 1970s dynasty, Dryden's career in the spotlight was only just getting started when he retired from the game — and while at the top of his own game — in his early 30s.

A lawyer, author, politician and NHL executive, he would go on to leave an indelible mark across large swaths of wider Canadian society.