“He broke all the rules,” marvels Oren Safdie as we discuss Ken Dryden, the Montreal Canadiens goalie who backstopped the 1970s team into the pantheon of the greatest sports dynasties of all time. Utterly unflappable, “he came into the league and was quickly inserted into the playoffs, and won the Conn Smythe Trophy” for most valuable player in the playoffs. Later, “he took a year off” from playing for the Canadiens “so he could complete his studies.” And “he left the game to do many other things – even though he was at the height of his game.”
“If that’s not a role model, I’m not sure what is.”
It’s a flattering tribute—and Safdie means it literally, as he explores in his solo show Beyond Ken Dryden, enjoying its world premiere run until June 1 at Soulpepper Theatre’s Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto. Written by Safdie, directed by Padraic Lillis and performed by versatile New York–born actor and musician Max Katz, the piece draws from the acclaimed screenwriter and playwright’s lived experience. Blending coming-of-age, nostalgia, sports mythology, and political awakening, Beyond Ken Dryden marks Safdie’s return to the stage with a work that is both revealing and culturally resonant.
Origins of Beyond Ken Dryden
Set on the night the Canadiens played their final game at the storied Montreal Forum, Beyond Ken Dryden reflects on a time when Les Bleu, Blanc et Rouge were more than just a hockey team: they were the heart of a city. Montreal in the 1970s was both exhilarating and unstable. The rise of Quebec separatism and the election of the Parti Québécois spurred Anglophone migration westward down Highway 401. Jean Drapeau’s 1976 Olympics left the city near bankruptcy, and the era’s social revolutions challenged the traditional family structure.
During this time, Safdie’s parents separated and reunited repeatedly – before permanently parting ways. But in the midst of all this chaos, Ken Dryden and the Canadiens remained a constant for Safdie: steadfast symbols of hope who lifted both his spirits – and the city’s – by capturing six Stanley Cups in just nine years.
“There was a confluence of events that came together in writing this play,” Safdie recalls. “The spark came two years ago. I was teaching at St. Olaf College in Minnesota, and I was asked to teach an English course called The Personal Narrative. Naturally, being a playwright, I turned the writing workshop into performance art, and all the students had to stand up and read their stories out loud. Soon, the class formed a group, and the St. Olaf Storytellers started performing their stories in hotels, over the radio, in senior homes; and because all the students were in their late teens and early twenties, most of their stories were about their childhoods.”
Their stories got Safdie thinking about what his own childhood story would be. And what began to emerge was a story of dislocation, identity, and resilience. Beyond Ken Deyden is grounded in real personal events, such as a devastating house fire and his parents’ divorce, and the tense sociopolitical backdrop. Happily, Safdie reflects, “Despite all the back and forth of imminent separation, there was something magical and special about growing up in Montreal in the 1970s. And I came to realize that Ken Dryden and the Montreal Canadiens were a big part of that, uniting us all and giving us a sense of invincibility – being champions year after year.”
A childhood in flux
As a child, Safdie lived in Habitat ’67, the iconic modular housing complex which his father, architect Moshe Safdie, designed for Expo 67. It was a global symbol of innovation, and it became Safdie’s personal container for a childhood in flux when the Safdies moved there following a fire at his family home, which serves as backdrop for the play. “Ironically, the house burning down serves as a happy point in my life versus what followed, which was my family falling apart,” he explains. “We eventually ended up living [in Habitat]. I knew everyone there because I was the paper boy, the tennis groundskeeper, and the unofficial tour guide every time a dignitary came to town and my father was out of town – which was often.”
He paints a vivid picture of youthful independence and exploration: biking to Old Montreal, crossing bridges, and sneaking into shuttered Expo pavilions “like the kids from Stand By Me.” But there was also estrangement: “Once my parents finally split, it was odd that my mother and I remained living in his building because, in a sense, it was a reminder of what no longer was. Also, during this time, the rise of Separatism led to a huge exodus of the English community—mostly to Toronto—which only added to this sense that nothing seemed stable.”
Amidst this upheaval, Safdie notes that “Les Canadiens were a great unifier in the city of Montreal and transcended language barriers, but the game of hockey also taught me a lot of life lessons.” For example, “in the play, I recount one game in 1971, when the Canadiens were down against the Bruins 5–1 at the end of two periods during a crucial playoff game. I felt that all my heroes—Ken Dryden included—had somehow let me down, and in disgust I turned off the television and sat down on the floor, sulking. I won’t give it away, but it did teach me an important lesson that miracles can happen – and not to ever give up.”
Safdie also recalls quiet moments of sportsmanship, like Ken Dryden shaking hands with his brother Dave at centre ice after playing against him in a game. And he recalls his efforts to get Dryden’s autograph, and the outsized significance of that “tiny piece of paper”. These small but symbolic moments, he suggests, are emblematic of how hockey weaves itself into the national fabric, connecting Canadians across vast distances: “If you’re traveling overseas and meet a fellow Canadian, the topic of hockey inevitably comes up in a way that says, ‘We understand each other.’”
Great writing about hockey
Safdie’s storytelling isn’t just rooted in personal memory; it connects with a broader tradition of Canadian hockey lore. As the stepson of author Roch Carrier, whose classic picture book The Hockey Sweater has become a cultural touchstone, Safdie grew up with stories that used sport as a mirror for society: “Roch Carrier has been my stepfather for 40 years. It’s amazing to see how his story has continued to endure in the folklore of Canadian culture.” Since its publication in 1979, a quote from the book has been placed on the 5-dollar bill, and it has been turned into an animated short film, a musical, and a popular symphony performance. “The Hockey Sweater speaks to the universal theme of the pressure to conform to society—especially in a small Quebec town in the 1950s—where the worship of Maurice Richard was not an option.”
The idea of carving your own path within the expectations and traditions around you echoes throughout Safdie’s life. Taking after his father, he studied architecture at Columbia. But, he found himself “at a point in my life where I was thinking of dropping out of architecture school to become a writer”. At this exact moment, he found unexpected inspiration in another classic of Canadian hockey writing: Dryden’s memoir The Game. The book was another example of Dryden’s fearlessness: “Ken Dryden wasn’t exactly a writer before he wrote this touchstone book on sports, which was nominated for a Governor General’s Award. What was important was he had something important to say, and he just did it. That message resonates with me until today.”
Nationalism, fandom and community
“We are experiencing a time of renewed nationalism in Canada, and we’re also in the most exciting time of the year – the playoffs!” And while he realizes that the Toronto Maple Leafs might not yet have the success of the Canadiens in the 1970s, he notes – hopefully, with fingers, toes and arms and legs crossed – that they are “knocking on the door,” which builds a different kind of resilience in a city, too. “It will be interesting to see if the character of Toronto changes if the Leafs ever become a dynasty”, he muses.
Contemplating how Canadian hockey narratives help to meet today’s larger moment, Safdie notes, “I think we all understand, at a basic level, how important the game is to our country’s identity. But in this play, I dig deeper into showing how this game connects with all of us.”
And has the play connected with Dryden himself? “Not yet,” says Safdie says. “But if he ever does, he may well see just how deeply his life has helped shape someone else’s.” After all, as Safdie reflects, “this play is more than just about one team or one sport, it’s about how children sometimes look to their sports heroes and teams to lift them up in difficult times, as well as making them feel a part of a greater community, which is needed more than ever today.”
Hyper-Allergenic Production’s Beyond Ken Dryden runs at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts until June 1, 2025. Reserve tickets here.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesaya Arts Magazine 2025
