When he first came into the NHL, and also against the Soviets, Dryden wore one of the ugliest masks known to men, the one that made him look like an Orc Chieftan weeping blood in The Lord of the Rings. His more famous mask had loops of blue and red, modern, friendly, as cool as a Danish dinner plate. It complemented the famous Dryden stance, enhanced its portrait of calm, and maybe even his virtue, as the game skittered on at the far end of the rink.