Canadian Prospects Like NCAA Option Better than CHL
The following article appeared June 17 on the National Hockey League (NHL) Web site.
By John McGourty
NHL.com Staff Writer
There once was a time that nearly all NCAA Division I hockey
players were Canadians. Very few of them had NHL aspirations or
ability, but they used their hockey talent to secure a free college
education that prepared them well for life after hockey.
Goalie Ken Dryden was one of, if not the, first Canadians to go
the American college route to the NHL. Dryden led Cornell to the
1967 NCAA championship, played for the Canadian national team and
then joined the Montreal Canadiens organization, who obtained
Dryden's rights from Boston, the team that drafted him in 1964.
After playing part-time for the Canadiens' AHL farm club while
attending law school in Montreal, Dryden joined the Canadiens late
in the 1970-71 season and led them to the Stanley Cup.
American-born Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke
played at Providence College from 1973-77, and recalled, "When I
was there, well over half the Division I players were Canadian.
It's lower than that now, but then it was about 60-70 percent. When
I went to Providence College, we were about 75-80 percent
Canadian."
