The Montreal Canadiens scored three goals in a two-and-a-half minute second period span to defeat the Ottawa Senators 3-1 on Monday, in a home game played after the team and fans paid homage to Ken Dryden.
The Canadiens retired the former goaltender's number 29 jersey in a lavish one-hour pre-game ceremony to honour a player who was instrumental in six Stanley Cup victories in the 1970s, including four in a row.
The 6ft-4ins Dryden, now a federal politician in Canada, joins numerous other former stars in the franchise's storied history with their numbers hoisted to the rafters.
Dryden burst on the scene as a rookie in 1971 and helped the Canadiens to an upset Stanley Cup win that year.
He later was the goalie on five more Cup wins, but as he told the crowd during an hour-long ceremony before the game, the teams in front of him were so good, he often did not have to stop many shots.
"Watching, waiting, not doing anything," Dryden told the crowd as he struck his trademark pose, hands crossed in front of his face, arms resting on his goal stick.
"That was pretty much what the 1970s were all about. That and a whole bunch of Stanley Cups."
Dryden was accompanied by his family, including his brother and former NHL goalie Dave Dryden, and Russian legend Vladislav Tretiak, one of his favourite goalies.
He ended his stellar career with a 258-57-74 record in 397 games, with 46 shutouts and a 2.24 goals against average. A member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, Dryden won 80 of the 112 playoff games he appeared in, with 10 shutouts and a 2.40 GAA.
The Canadiens made the night a happy one for the sold-out crowd at the Bell Centre by rallying to beat the Senators, ending Ottawa's five-game road winning streak.
Sheldon Souray, Mark Streit and Tomas Plekanec scored the goals for the Canadiens, who moved one point ahead of the Senators into second place in the Northeast Division.
Chris Phillips scored the lone Ottawa goal and David Aebischer made 26 saves in goal for Montreal.
*Petr Prucha scored twice and added an assist as the New York Rangers moved back into a tie for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 6-1 win over the Boston Bruins.
The Rangers are now tied with Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh for eighth spot in the East with 54 points after winning their second straight game since the All-Star break.
