A lot of Dryden's contemporaries like Rogie Vachon, Gille Villemure and Roger Crozier were around 5'6" to 5'8". The average goaltender was probably in the 5'10" to 6' range. Expansion era probably gave a lot of smaller guys the opportunity, but even Original Six's Gump Worsley was a little feller.
Equipment became bigger when pads made of lighter wight materials came into vogue. You could only make the old horsehair-stuffed leather pads so big before weight became an issue (especially if they got wet, which was often).
Now that those lightweight materials can be made stronger, equipment sizes should come down (and have, to some degree).
Goaltending is also a different training discipline than in Dryden's day.
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