Cornell to Honor Greats

ITHACA, N.Y. -- The Cornell men’s hockey team will honor its past with a pair of special ceremonies during the final regular season home weekend of the season. The numbers of Ken Dryden and Joe Nieuwendyk will be retired, while the 40th anniversary of the 1970 national championship team will also be commemorated on Feb. 26-27, 2010, at Lynah Rink in Ithaca.

When Cornell and Union take to the ice on Feb. 26, 2010, Cornell will honor two of its greatest players in Ken Dryden and Joe Nieuwendyk with the retirement of their respective numbers. Dryden’s number 1 and Nieuwendyk’s number 25 will be put on permanent display, never to be worn on the ice again.

In preparation for the two numbers to be retired, no player on the 2009-10 Cornell men’s hockey team will wear either jersey number. Dryden’s number 1 has been worn almost consistently from his playing days in the late 1960s to the present, missing only the span from 1987-90 and again in 1994-95, while Nieuwendyk’s number 25 has been worn by five players, though not since 2002-03.

The following night, Cornell will honor the 40th anniversary of the 1970 NCAA champions, the team that went 29-0-0 to become the only undefeated, untied national champion in NCAA history. Players from that team will be honored between periods of the Big Red’s game against Rensselaer. That night will also be Senior Night, with the traditional recognition of the Cornell seniors being held after the game.

Dryden was the only Cornellian and one of only a handful players in college hockey to be named an All-American for three consecutive seasons. He backstopped the Big Red to its first NCAA championship as a sophomore in 1967 and posted a career record of 76-4-1, earning the ECAC Player of the Year award as a senior. For his three seasons with the Cornell varsity, Dryden posted a 1.59 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage. He went on to a stellar career with the Montreal Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup six times over his nine-year career, and winning the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league’s best goaltender, five times during his career. Dryden is also the only player in history to win the NHL’s Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs, the year before winning the Calder Memorial Trophy, presented to the league’s best rookie.

Nieuwendyk, meanwhile, played in 81 games over his three-year Cornell career, finishing his third year as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, presented to the best player in college hockey. He was the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year in 1987 after being named the league’s top rookie in 1985. Nieuwendyk left Cornell after his junior year to turn professional with the Calgary Flames, and embarked on a career that spanned 21 seasons and more than 1,250 games and winning the Stanley Cup three times. As a professional, Nieuwendyk collected 564 goals and 562 assists and received the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999 with the Dallas Stars. Upon his retirement in 2007, he ranked tied for 48th in NHL history with 1,126 career points. His career also included winning a gold medal in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, with Team Canada. In May 2009, Nieuwendyk was named the general manager of the Dallas Stars.