Month: October 2022

Dave Dryden was the backup goaltender to Gerry Cheevers on their Toronto Marlboros Major Junior Hockey team in the late fifties and early sixties this true journeyman goaltender has played for no less than 15 different teams across seven leagues.

Dave was an inch or two shorter than his younger brother each was over six feet tall and well-educated and both had a passion to play in net but their career paths were completely different as well as their skills and talents.

Few fans realize that Dave contributed so much to the goaltender position as far as equipment innovation but even fewer people know that he also was an amateur photographer that worked with a small Toronto company called Telecraft Films that created highlight content for the Sabres.

His camera/helmet gear looks so cumbersome and barbaric compared to what technology is available today, ironically the film footage shot by Mr. Dryden was not used in the movie it was meant for.

Mr. Dryden played in 10 games with a three-goalie rotation during Buffalo’s Inaugural NHL Season and earned decent stats across the board, in his second season with Buffalo, he played double the amount of games as Mr. Crozier’s only backup goaltender for the season and did not do as well. 

Mr. Dryden’s third season with the Sabres was the charm as he was over 900 save percentage, a 2.65 GAA, and three shutouts, earning a 14-13-7 record as the backup goaltender as well as starting Buffalo’s first two playoff games.

Mr. Dryden’s fourth and last season with Buffalo at 32 years of age became the starter earning a 23-20-8 record on a team with a 32-34-12 overall record.

Mr. Dryden jumped to the WHA Chicago Cougars and then became an Edmonton Oilers player where he remained and was part of their first season in the NHL where Mr. Dryden was one of six goaltenders for Edmonton and played 14 games winning two and retired from playing after the 1979-80 season.

An average to good goaltender Mr. Dryden should not be remembered as a footnote or in the shadow of his brother but as a major NHL innovator of modern goaltending equipment and as a journeyman NHL goaltender who earned positive statistics as well as an outstanding WHA goalie.

I was a 12-year-old boy when Mr. Dryden left my boys for the WHA, and now in my later years I have watched him leave again, and although I never met him I have included the Dryden family in my thoughts and prayers.

San Jose and Nashville in Prague, Czech Republic

After the first two 2022-23 NHL regular season games, the FHL scoreboard this afternnon highlights team Buffalo Sabres maintaining the overall lead on the strength of yesterday’s goaltender’s 8-point production with team Downton Flyers following closely with 6.9 points.

The Global Series’ first two regular-season contests went well for Nashville and FHL team managers with at least one player from either San Jose or Nashville.

The Sharks Czech Republic native Mr. Hertl received yet another standing ovation to begin the game and ironically he gets whistled for a high sticking penalty five seconds into the game.

Nashville’s backup goaltender played the game of his career to hold off the onslaught of a near 3 to 1 SOG San Jose advantage with the Sharks scoring first, winning more faceoffs, and scoring on the Power Play but the Predators hold on for a 3-2 victory.

The next two NHL games are scheduled for this coming Tuesday, Oct 11^th with an East Coast game in New York as the Rangers host the Lighting and out West the Knights travel to Los Angeles to play the Kings.

Team managers could use this slight pause at the beginning of the season to readjust their rosters by reassigning injured players, acquiring another goaltender, and ensuring players available are off the bench.

To begin the NHL season we have the first of two Global Series games between Nashville and San Jose at 2 o’clock EST this afternoon which creates a nine-day fantasy week for the first weekly matchup in the ESPN FHL 21-week season.

Not every FHL team manager will have a player or players from these two teams Buffalo Winter’s drafted team did not include any so before the season begins a player was put on IR (injured reserve) and dropping a goaltender was to create room for Nashville/New Jersey defensemen.  

Currently, there are FHL team managers that could organize their roster by transferring a player who is O (out) with injury to the IR list affording the team a roster spot to fill by selecting from the general pool of players or their “watch list”.

Players that are DTD (day-to-day) need to be placed on the bench even if their team is not in action today, taking the time each day to manage your roster as an FHL team manager will provide a more successful FHL team.

The NHL fun and excitement begins this afternoon and the long journey of a 21-week FHL season is upon us so remember to put aside a bit of time each day to manage your team and you could find yourself battling for FHL supremacy.