Ken Dryden delivers AbitibiBowater Lecture to packed auditorium

Dryden touched upon aspects of all these achievements in front of a nearly capacity crowd of 370 at the D.B. Clarke Theatre in Concordia’s Henry F. Hall Building on September 15. Dryden was at the university to deliver the AbitibiBowater Lecture, called “A Canadie/an Life.”

He let on that it was good to be back in the old neighbourhood, just a few blocks from the former Montreal Forum. He then asked the students present if they knew what career they want to pursue; he also inquired if those over age 40 knew where they’d end up back when they were 20. In both cases, only a few answered yes.

Dryden revealed that when he was an undergrad at Cornell University (in Ithaca, N.Y.), he too had no idea where his life would take him—and that’s true for most folks. “If we’re lucky, our path will change and we’ll end up doing things more interesting than what we set out do,” he said.

After a short address, Dryden sat down for a 45-minute discussion with moderator Mutsumi Takahashi, BA 79, MBA 95, news anchor for CTV Montreal.

Takahashi asked him how he came to write the final words of the second edition of The Game (2003): “I dream/I imagine/I feel hard and deep/I hope, because there’s always a way.” “That’s the lesson of sports,” Dryden replied. “There’s always a way.”

Dryden spoke about the important role teamwork plays—not only in sports but in government or even for a country. Takahashi pointed out that in Dryden’s latest book, Becoming Canada (2011), he writes that our nation needs a combined effort to succeed.

“You seem to be saying, if we don’t make it, it’s because of us,” she stated. Takahashi then asked Dryden for his take on why the Liberals, once called Canada’s “natural governing party,” fell so dramatically in the May Canadian federal elections. “Once you think that you’re the ‘natural governing party,’ you’ll lose, and you’ll deserve to lose,” Dryden responded. He added that the Liberal Party must go through the process of reassessing where it stands. “It’s time for us to rediscover what we do best.”

Audience members then fired a few questions at the former goalie. When asked about Canada’s prospects for the next 10 years, Dryden replied that Canada’s greatest asset is its diverse population: “We’re creating a multi-culture—not multiculturalism—and that’s something you do together.”

Concordia president and Vice-Chancellor Frederick Lowy introduced Dryden. Dominique McCaughey, Concordia’s acting VP of Advancement and Alumni Relations, led off the evening and pointed out that the lecture kicked off the university’s Homecoming ’11 festivities.

Dryden signed copies of The Game and Becoming Canada after the lecture and at the following cocktail reception, held in the CSU Lounge on the 7th floor of the Hall Building. He also signed three goalie sticks, which were handed out as prizes.