Fri Nov 26, 2010, 5:24 PM
By The Canadian Press
OTTAWA - What if you called a federal byelection and a hockey game broke out?
Voters in Vaughan, Ont., north of Toronto, might be wondering just what kind of contest is taking place in their riding next week.
Is this a Habs-Bruins Stanley Cup final circa 1977?
First came a high-profile endorsement for the Conservative candidate from Don Cherry, the colourful commentator from Hockey Night in Canada and former Boston Bruins coach.
Cherry is backing Julian Fantino, the former Ontario Provincial Police commissioner who is a star candidate for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
That's prompted Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden, a Liberal MP and six-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens, to strap on the pads and publicly endorse Liberal candidate Tony Genco.
Just like Cherry, Dryden is sending taped telephone voice messages to Vaughan voters imploring them to support his teammate.
Dryden's pro-Genco message tells voters that "in politics and sports, it takes talent, hard work, a goal you never forget and the willingness to work as a team."
Dryden was a Cherry nemesis in the 1970s as the Canadiens ran up a series of Stanley Cup championships, including back-to-back victories over Boston in 1977 and '78.
The Vaughan byelection is one of three scheduled for Monday.