Ken Dryden - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

      One of the greatest goaltenders of all-time.  Ken Dryden, from Islington/Lakeshore in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, was perhaps the greatest goaltender of all-time.  Out of Cornell as a standout goalie he was dominating at those ranks with 76 Wins 4 Losses and 1 Tie.  Dryden was drafted by the Boston Bruins in 1964 and traded to the Montreal Canadiens two weeks later.  In 1970/71 Dryden excelled for AHL affiliate Montreal Voyageurs and was again dominating, and was brought to the Canadiens for the playoffs of 1970/71.  He was the Canadiens goalie for the playoffs taking home the Conn Smythe trophy in victory for Montreal that year (after going 6-0 in his first six games in net at the end of the regular season).  He was sent the next year to compete, (alongside Tony Esposito), as a starting Goaltender for Team Canada in the '72 Summit Series.  In fact it was Ken Dryden in net for Team Canada in game eight (as he was chosen over Esposito for that start in Russia).  Victorious in the series for Canada over Vladislav Tretiak and the U.S.S.R, Dryden showed why he was sent to represent Canada.

  When Dryden resumed in the NHL he led his Canadiens to another Stanley Cup in 1972/73 and four Stanley Cups in a row between 1976-1979.  In just eight full years in the NHL Dryden won an incredible 6 Stanley Cups.  In fact, in Dryden's pedigree, he won the Calder Trophy in his first full season of 1971/72 and won the Vezina Trophy an astonishing five times in eight full years in the NHL (including each year from 1976-79 - coinciding with winning the Stanley Cup each year).

  What made Ken Dryden so revered in our Nation of Canada was that he was a visionary of how a big man should play net, and how teams should approach the game.  At 6 foot 4 Dryden was the biggest goalie in the game when he played and was a true visionary of what hockey teams are made of - his leadership was followed by Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Yvan Cournoyer, Steve Shutt, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Doug Jarvis, Bob Gainey, Mario Tremblay, Rejean Houle, Pierre Mondou, and Guy Lapointe (among many others likewise).  Towards the end of Ken Dryden's career he went back to Cornell to finish a law degree that he deemed necessary to explore (while still in his prime), to satisfy his ideas of how to pay the community back.  Ken worked as an Attorney of Law for years and eventually became President of Hockey Operations for the Toronto Maple Leafs, guiding the Leafs to two Semi-Final appearances (Conference Finals) from 1997-2003 and two Conference Semi-Finals during this span. 

   Ken got into politics in 2004 as a Cabinet Minister of Social Development for the Federal Government.  He later achieved a riding placement in North York, Ontario which he served for years after 2006, a year in which he was an active Cabinet Member as Health Critic.  His last few years he battled cancer and didn't put that to people, but lived through what he had to live through.  He died last week at the age of 78. 

   His passing was felt all across this Country of Canada and while a Toronto Maple Leafs fan like myself would root for my Toronto Maple Leafs in a game against Dryden's Canadiens, I would not detract from any accomplishment in bad blood towards Dryden's Canadiens (for the folklore of the game with respect to the greats of the game).  When I was 16 I read Dryden's autobiography 'The Game' and learned from what Ken Dryden put in print.  The book was descriptive and talked about all the relationships the man had with his fellow teammates and talked in depth of his rationale and reasoning behind why he would leave the game he loved to explore the greater good for his Nation of Canada.  Ken Dryden once said that Jacques Lemaire was the most tenacious Hockey Player he ever saw play.  He also said Doug Jarvis was the most genuine of all his teammates, and considered Guy Lafleur to be the greatest right winger of all-time.  All told Ken Dryden wrote six books in his writing career.

  In the 1980 Winter Olympics  in Lake Placid, it was Dryden in the booth with Al Michaels on the network ABC that were the commentators of the finals between the U.S.A and U.S.S.R.  It is my contention that as a visionary of the game of Hockey he was instrumental to the U.S.A's success in winning the Gold Medal Game against the powerful Soviet Red Army that year.  It was Dryden's contention that the U.S.A needed to score soon to win that Gold Medal game in the Third Period (after some mad Soviet rushes), an observation that was met with a quick goal by the U.S  (essentially winning them the game).  Ken Dryden put his stamp in the Hockey World, as an Attorney of Law, and as a Politician - sadly we have lost one of our greatest Canadian Legends.  Ken Dryden and his brother Dave Dryden were both NHL goalies (Dave with the Oilers in the WHA and some years in the NHL prior to joining the WHA).  They faced off against each-other eight times over their careers (the only time two brothers have ever faced off in games as rival goalies - twice in the playoffs) and were one of the most proud Hockey families in the history of the game.  While this may seem to be trivial I would summarize that the Dryden's were perhaps the most respected Hockey Families of all-time.  Over his career, Ken Dryden had 258 Wins - 57 Losses - 74 Ties with 46 Shutouts, a lifetime 2.24 Goals Against Average and a lifetime .922 Save % in a time when .895 was accepted to be fantastic (as League Standards).  His playoff career was likewise stellar, in which he won 80 games and lost only 32 with 10 Shutouts.  Ken Dryden's goals against average in the playoffs was 2.41 and his save % was .915.  

R.I.P Ken Dryden (August 8th 1947 - September 5th 2025)

Wilt's Working Wonders - by Moses

Wilt's Working Wonders - by Moses

Predictions for the 2025/26 NBA Campaign 

Scottie Barnes - Shure 57

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Canadian '67

Trae Young - 63 

Jamal Murray - 53 

R.J Barrett - 50

James Harden - 55

Damon Lillard - 52

Pascal Siakam - 58

OG Anunoby - 54

Joel Embiid - 59

 

Lineage - by Moses

 

      When we look back to our family lineage we see that a person has parents, grandparents, great grandparent, great great grandparents and so on and so on.  In many faiths we track our lineage to secure our people.  For example if you are Jewish you would have lineage to Abraham. 

Food Eateries in Toronto - by Moses (a.k.a Stacey Marc Goldman)

 

      As Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a diverse City with respect to multiculturalism, it stands to reason that each community within the community has fine eateries for the population.  In Toronto If you are Jewish you would probably be familiar with Pancers Deli, one of the finest Jewish Deli's in North America.  If you're Arabic in Toronto you would probably be familiar with eateries such as Aida's Fallafel, Babos Donerpoint, and the recent Arabic Deli's Maawaa and Lazeez.  If you are Asian than you're probably familiar with Mandarin Palace and Pearls (which recently had to close down) and many more in China Towns in T-Dot.  In the Hungarian community there is Paprika, and so forth such as Italian restaurants Pizza Nova, The Olive Garden and Dante's, and Greek restaurants The Friendly Greek, Mr. Greek, and George the Greek.  The Palestinian/Canadian owned Jerusalem Palace is likewise a fine eatery to dine, and that of Portuguese/Canadian owned Amadeus and Piri Piri, as well as Trini-Gardens and Ducky's Roti (Trinidad/Tobago eateries).  

  The problem that this writer has with respect to multicultural aspects is that sometimes there are Worldwide events that change the course of having these fine eateries.  People in Canada have to pay for the decisions that their Homelands have dug their teeth into to secure their Nations.  With that I'll give you the example of how this affects the city of Toronto;  In Israel there is constant dissidence that has brought a stigma of what it means to be Jewish in Canada and America in today's age.  Because of all the negative press that the State of Israel has received over the years we have seen the closing down of many Jewish Deli's in Toronto.  Yitz's, Marky's, Switzer's, Coleman's, Katz's, and Kaplansky's among others have all been closed down over the last twenty five years.  Pathetic really, as, should Italy, Portugal, or Greece receive this bad press of their Nations, they would probably have to close down some of their fine eateries in Toronto.  This hypicratic oath associated with Worldwide sentiment leads me to believe that anti-semitism has been in place for too long to count in Canada and the U.S (since the war that Israel had with Lebanon, Iran, and Syria over the past thirty-forty years).  As it is, Jewish community have suffered as a result (much more than other ethnic communities within Toronto) when it comes to this matter.  

  The media has supported these mandates that have affected the common man of ethnicity within Canada and the U.S.A since the eighties.  Isn't it ironic that while there has been a huge influx of Arabic eateries within Toronto over the past thirty years there have been countless Jewish Deli's that had to close their doors to business because of such bad blood towards the Hebrew people that live in Toronto (and across Canada and America).

  The reality in North America today is that Aboriginal communities have likewise been sideswiped in business dealings (such as fine eateries) over the history of our Nations.  How many Aboriginal eateries have been established over the past 40 years in Canada?  It's offensive if you're 'Native' in Canada and the U.S.A to see zero 'Native' cuisines.  Why are Aboriginals in Toronto not being allowed to open cuisines and fine eateries according to their dietary laws.  Why can't a man in Canada enjoy Venison, Caribou, and Moose meat (as currently they are not being offered in big cities across North America).  Why aren't their dietary laws being accepted equal to that of Trinidadian and Ethiopian cuisine.  Who's to say that Goat and Ox Tail are more or less offensive than Venison, Caribou, and Moose meats (as Aboriginal dietary laws dictate).  This is grossly offensive to Aboriginal leaders in Canada and it would stand to reason that over the next number of years we will see these eateries across Canada in every big city.  I would fully support 3-4 Aboriginal eateries in every major city in Canada and America.  These are concerns that have affected an equilibrium of fair trade that Aboriginals have had to endure (gross inequities).

  In our present day within Canada and the U.S we see extreme cases of violence (mass shootings) when a person falls into a state of persecution and while it may seem to be far-fetched that this is directly related to closing down a Jewish deli or the lack of Aboriginal cuisine, this does affect the psyche of a Major City.  It also affects how Aboriginal and ethnic minorities are treated.  With enough stigma towards an Aboriginal or ethnic minority there is a sense of concern for our young within their community.  If a man wants traditional Canadian and American foods there are hundreds of burger joints, submarine shops, and chicken restaurants (such as Swiss Chalet) to go to.  When Aboriginal and ethnic minorities are denied their cuisines, this is a root cause of persecution within their community as they feel like they are not wanted.  This in turn has, in the past and present, led to persecution that Aboriginals feel today.  Let's not continue this pattern and try to fix the problem.  It seems that Restaurant chains such as McDonald's, Subway, and Swiss Chalet gentrify the market and steal business from Aboriginals and ethnic minorities.   

  People should not be closed down or denied access to the market because they are Jewish, Palestinian, Pakistani (Urdu), Aboriginal, Filipino, Hungarian, and the list goes on and on.