Hockey isn't a complicated sport-there's twelve guys skating around a rink, whacking away at a piece of rubber, and sometimes it goes in the net. Families, on the other hand? The 1970s were a tumultuous time to be growing up in Montreal, with the rise of the Quebec independence movement, the coming to power of the Parti Québécois, many Montrealers migrating to Toronto, the 1976 Olympics. Disco, free love, and counter-culture revolutions combined with more women entering the workforce and easier access to divorce. Oren Safdie saw his parents break up and get back together again before parting ways for good, but Ken Dryden and the Montreal Canadiens remained steadfast in his life, lifting his and everyone else's spirits by winning six Stanley Cups in nine years. "It feels very good." That's what Ken Dryden said when he heard Oren Safdie had written Beyond Ken Dryden : "Childhood experiences that relate to friends, to family members-to a brother, to a father, to a mother-stay with you. And oftentimes, those have to do with sports: you loved the same team together, or you had a favourite and your brother had a different favorite team, so when someone does something like this, it feels very good." -Ken Dryden, radio interview with sports journalist Mike Cohen. "A wonderful flashback to the glory days of the Canadiens and their 1970s dynasty team through the eyes of a young boy growing up in Montreal through some tough times and the positive and lasting impact goalie Ken Dryden had on him." -Stu Cowan, sport columnist, Montreal Gazette "This book is about much more than hockey, and about much more than family. This is a story about the shared human experiences of sadness, frustration, confusion, anger, and how and where we find escape, where we find happiness." -Andrew Jamieson, Forget the Box Hockey isn't a complicated sport-there's twelve guys skating around a rink, whacking away at a piece of rubber, and sometimes it goes in the net. Families, on the other hand? The 1970s were a tumultuous time to be growing up in Montreal, with the rise of the Quebec independence movement, the coming to power of the Parti Québécois, many Montrealers migrating to Toronto, the 1976 Olympics. Disco, free love, and counter-culture revolutions combined with more women entering the workforce and easier access to divorce. Oren Safdie saw his parents break up and get back together again before parting ways for good, but Ken Dryden and the Montreal Canadiens remained steadfast in his life, lifting his and everyone else's spirits by winning six Stanley Cups in nine years. Oren Safdie was born in Montreal where he attended St George's School and Marianopolis College. Following graduate studies in Architecture and Creative Writing at Columbia University, Oren has worked as a playwright, screenwriter, and professor of Dramatic Writing & Literature. Five of his plays were New York Times Critic's Picks. Beyond Ken Dryden , which is his first book, was produced as a play in Montreal in 2024 and Toronto in 2025. He divides his time between LA and Montreal.