What Will Ken Dryden Do Next?

“I never thought of myself as a hockey player. I just thought of myself as a person who played hockey. I never thought of myself as a writer. I just thought of myself as someone who writes. And I never thought of myself as a politician. I just thought of myself as someone who’s involved in politics.”

- Ken Dryden

Now that Ken Dryden's run in Ottawa as Member of Parliament is over, speculation has begun as to what is next for the former Montreal Canadiens' great.

Reinventing himself is nothing new to Dryden. The Cornell graduate is best remembered as the six-time Stanley Cup championship goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s. The Hockey Hall of Famer ranks as one of the greatest goalies of all time.

But the intellectual was destined to become more than just a hockey player. First he became a lawyer; then a best selling author; then a sports commentator; then Ontario’s first Youth Commissioner; then president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lastly, starting in 2004, he represented Toronto's York Centre riding as an MP. He was a cabinet minister and even took a run to become Prime Minister of Canada.

What will he do next?

“I got into politics seven years ago to try to do something useful,” he says. “I hope to do something useful next. … What is it that I might do, I don’t know. And I don’t need to know today," Dryden told the Toronto Star.

More than a few hockey fans have already called for Dryden to replace Gary Bettman as the commissioner of the National Hockey League. Aside from the certain long winded press conferences, it's not a bad idea. He is a lawyer with a hockey background obviously. He has an unmatchable resume, mind you the owners' definition of the job is quite a bit different than the fans'.

But Bettman recently signed a long term contract extension and is going nowhere, certainly not until after the next collective bargaining agreement is settled. By the time Bettman does step down, Dryden will likely have already found his newest incarnation.