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WORK TITLE: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man Dennis Maruk
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BIRTHDATE: 11/17/1955
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NATIONALITY: Canadian
His son Jon Maruk plays hockey. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=13557
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PERSONAL
Born November 17, 1955, in Canada; children: a son.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL), 1975-89; also worked as a ship captain and motivational speaker.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
A career hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL), Ukrainian-Canadian Dennis Maruk has written his memoir, Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man. Undersized but bullish playing center, Maruk was first drafted in 1975 by the California Golden Seals, then was traded in 1978 to the Washington Capitals. During his career playing fourteen seasons with the NHL, he became one of only twenty men who scored sixty or more goals in a single season. He played in two NHL All-Star Games and holds the Washington Capitals’ record for most points in a single season, with 136. After he left hockey in 1989, he worked at various jobs, including captain of a service ship in the Gulf of Mexico, working for famous personalities like Goldie Hawn and John Oates, and traveling as a motivational speaker. Maruk lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Possessing hockey’s greatest Fu Manchu moustache, Maruk and cowriter Ken Reid, a broadcaster with SportsNet Central and author of One Night Only and Hockey Card Stories, published Dennis Maruk in 2017. The book recounts his career after he took to heart advice to be bold and determined out on the ice. Due to his size, he felt he always had to prove himself. He also discusses his points and assists record, work with less than prominent teams that left him in relative obscurity, injuries, difficulties with uncooperative coaches, and wayward attitude of the direction of his life after hockey. “Maruk writes honestly about his failed marriages, his battles with depression, and his difficulty finding a posthockey life,” observed a Publishers Weekly writer. The writer added that hockey fans will also enjoy learning about the business side of the game, mergers, teammates, and Maruk’s on-the-road hijinks.
According to Sal Barry on the Puck Junk website, “Like a lot of hockey player autobiographies, Maruk tends to gloss over the latter years of his career, when injuries and indifferent coaches limited his ice time. But those years tend to be the most interesting, as the player must cope with the reality that nothing lasts forever and have to figure out what comes next.” Lance Smith wrote online at the Guy Who Reviews Sports Books: “This book was a very quick read–it took me less than a two hour sitting to complete it, another rarity in sports memoirs. It is one that is recommended for hockey fans who either remember him and his play, as I did, or for readers who want to learn more about the forgotten 60-goal man.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, August 28, 2017, review of Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man.
ONLINE
Guy Who Reviews Sports Books, http://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/ (October 8, 2017), Lance Smith, review of Dennis Maruk.
Puck Junk, http://puckjunk.com/ (February 6, 2018), Sal Barry, review of Dennis Maruk.
Russian Machine Never Breaks, https://www.russianmachineneverbreaks.com/ (August 15, 2017), Ian Oland, “Former Capitals 60-goal Scorer Dennis Maruk Is Coming Out with a Book.”
Dennis Maruk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dennis Maruk
Born November 17, 1955 (age 62)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 165 lb (75 kg; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Lake Charles Ice Pirates (WPHL)
Kalamazoo Wings (IHL)
Minnesota North Stars (NHL)
Washington Capitals (NHL)
Cleveland Barons (NHL)
California Golden Seals (NHL)
National team Canada
NHL Draft 21st overall, 1975
California Golden Seals
WHA Draft 65th overall, 1975
Cleveland Crusaders
Playing career 1975–1989
Dennis John Maruk (born November 17, 1955) is a retired Ukrainian-Canadian[1] professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1975 to 1989, scoring a career high 60 goals for the Washington Capitals in 1981–82.
Contents [hide]
1 Career
2 In popular culture
3 Career statistics
3.1 Regular season and playoffs
3.2 International
4 References
5 External links
Career[edit]
Maruk played junior "A" hockey in the Ontario Hockey League for the London Knights before he was drafted in 1975 by the California Golden Seals. While with the Seals, he became the first NHL rookie to score five shorthanded goals in a season. Maruk followed the franchise when it relocated to Cleveland to become the Cleveland Barons a year later.
Maruk's rights were later obtained by the Minnesota North Stars after the Barons merged with them in 1978, but he was traded shortly afterwards to the Washington Capitals. During his time with the Capitals, he scored 50 goals in 1980-1981 and 60 goals in 1981-1982; his mark of 76 assists and 136 points in the 1982 season remain Capitals' records for a single-season. Maruk was the first Capitals player to score 100 points in a season.
In 1982-1983, Maruk was one of the players instrumental in leading the Capitals to their first playoff appearance. Despite this, he was traded back to the Minnesota North Stars where he would finish his career. At the time of his retirement in 1989, he was the last active NHL player to have played for the Seals/Barons franchise, though Charlie Simmer played longer than him in minor leagues. Maruk was also the last Minnesota North Stars player to wear the number 9 prior to Mike Modano.
In 888 NHL games, he scored 356 goals and had 522 assists.
In popular culture[edit]
Maruk was discussed by a Soviet Agent during a conversation about ticket scalping in episode 16 of the FX Network television program The Americans, which takes place in the 1980s. The actual Russian dialogue referred to him as able to do "such (amazing) tricks", while the English subtitles translated it as a "wily" player.[2]
Dennis Maruk scored 356 goals and added 522 assists for 878 points in 888 career NHL regular season games. He played in two NHL All-Star Games and still holds the Washington Capitals’ record for most points (136) in a single season. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Former Capitals 60-goal scorer Dennis Maruk is coming out with a book
By Ian Oland On August 15, 2017 20 Comments
Washington Capitals alum Dennis Maruk is coming out with a new book and it appears to be one heck of a good read. According to Amazon, Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man is available for preorder now and will be released on October 17.
Maruk wrote the book with Sportsnet Central’s Ken Reid. Reid has previously written the national bestsellers One Night Only and Hockey Card Stories. The foreword is written by Hockey Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier.
On shelves in October. @dennismaruk21 on life on & off the ice – pulled a 180 when he retired. #morethanahockeybook pic.twitter.com/jBgAbIvYTU
— Ken Reid (@SNKenReid) August 9, 2017
The preview of the book is fascinating.
From feared NHL sniper to ship captain and bellhop ― with hockey’s greatest ‘stache
Only 20 men in NHL history have scored 60 or more goals in a single season: Gretzky, Lemieux, and Hull all hit the magical mark. And so did an undersized, take-no-prisoners centre named Dennis Maruk. When Maruk found the back of the net 60 times in 1981–82, he was the toast of Washington ― he even dined with the president. A few short years later, he was out of the game. Maruk not only left the rink, his life did a complete 180. Instead of flying up the ice and in on goal, he was behind the wheel of a service ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of setting up teammates, he was setting up furniture for Goldie Hawn. He was never sent down to the farm as a rookie, but after the game he was a farmhand for John Oates. And instead of fighting in the corners, Dennis Maruk found himself fighting for his life.
Maruk was drafted in the first round of the 1975 NHL Draft by the legendary California Golden Seals. He would go on to play 14 seasons in the NHL.
After a trade to the Capitals in 1978, Maruk had the best seasons of his career. Maruk scored 50 goals during the 1980-81 campaign. During the 1981-82 season, Maruk scored a career high 60 goals. His mark of 76 assists and 136 points in the 1982 season remain Capitals’ records for a single-season.
Maruk now serves as a motivational speaker. He also regularly participates in Capitals alumni events.
Like any small man in a big-man's game, Dennis Maruk has had to contend with skeptics about his business of dazzling all parties concerned with his spectacular play.
As he approached junior hockey, it was a given that the Toronto-reared lad would skate for the local Marlies. He started his OHA career that way until a blockbuster trade engineered to unite Mark Howe with his brother, Marty, sent Maruk's rights sailing down highway 401 to the London Knights. He was so displeased with the move that he contemplated quitting hockey to play lacrosse. He discovered that he had quite the knack as a goaler. But when he considered the lack of money in the sport and the wise words of his sister, he hopped back onto a set of blades and became an offensive hurricane on behalf of the Knights.
In spite of his scoring genius, he was passed over by a number of NHL teams in the 1975 draft because of his small stature. It wasn't until choice number 21 that the California Golden Seals secured his rights.
As he entered the NHL in 1975-76, he sported a fu manchu moustache that was not exactly fearsome in appearance. What was frightening for the opposition, however, was his ability to steal pucks and explode down the ice on breakaways. There were few players in the league who engineered as many one-on-none scoring chances as Maruk. He was fleet of foot, could stickhandle smoothly, and carried a wrist-shot that packed some pop.
After a very successful inaugural season with the Seals, the club folded and resurfaced as the Cleveland Barons. Maruk made the transition and adhered to what he called an individual style of play. With an awareness of the Baron's financial troubles, the name of the game was to score big to ensure another shot at the big-time after the team's demise. As such, he continued to pour in a healthy supply of points until the club's assets were absorbed by the Minnesota North Stars.
In a questionable move, the North Stars unloaded his rights to the Washington Capitals, in spite of his impressive numbers. It seemed that the diminutive centreman was having difficulty securing the respect that he deserved. The Stars evidently preferred to invest in their bigger prospect, Bobby Smith.
The Stars' loss, however, was a clear gain for the Caps. In Washington, Maruk caught fire as one of the NHL's top scorers. In his second full season with the club, he potted 50 goals as a mere warm-up to his third campaign when he poured in 60 goals and 76 assists for a total of 136 points.
But again, in spite of his phenomenal output, he was traded back to the Minnesota North Stars for the start of the 1983-84 campaign. The Stars were in the process of giving up on centre Bobby Smith and decided that perhaps Maruk would be useful after all.
The move back to Minneapolis was his final NHL destination. He skated for another five-plus seasons of reasonably solid offensive production before being demoted to the Kalamazoo Wings of the IHL where he retired in 1988-89.
In considering his prime years with Washington, only nine players in league history have scored as many goals in a single season as Dennis Maruk and only eight players equaled or surpassed his single-season point totals. As a result, Maruk was selected for the All-Star team in 1978 and 1982.
REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
Season Club League GP G A TP PIM +/- GP G A TP PIM
1970-1972 Markham Waxers ON-Jr.B
1971-72 Toronto Marlboros OHA-Jr. 8 2 1 3 4
1972-73 London Knights OHA-Jr. 59 46 67 113 54
1973-74 London Knights OHA-Jr. 67 47 65 112 61
1974-75 London Knights OMJHL 65 66 79 145 53
1975-76 California Golden Seals NHL 80 30 32 62 44 -6
1976-77 Cleveland Barons NHL 80 28 50 78 68 +4
1977-78 Cleveland Barons NHL 76 36 35 71 50 -26
1977-78 Canada WEC-A 10 6 1 7 2
1978-79 Minnesota North Stars NHL 2 0 0 0 0 -1
1978-79 Washington Capitals NHL 76 31 59 90 71 -14
1978-79 Canada WEC-A 7 1 1 2 2
1979-80 Washington Capitals NHL 27 10 17 27 8 0
1980-81 Washington Capitals NHL 80 50 47 97 87 -7
1980-81 Canada WEC-A 8 5 3 8 6
1981-82 Washington Capitals DN-Cup 4 2 2 4
1981-82 Washington Capitals NHL 80 60 76 136 128 -4
1982-83 Washington Capitals NHL 80 31 50 81 71 -21 4 1 1 2 2
1982-83 Canada WEC-A 10 4 3 7 4
1983-84 Minnesota North Stars NHL 71 17 43 60 42 -17 16 5 5 10 8
1984-85 Minnesota North Stars NHL 71 19 41 60 56 -2 9 4 7 11 12
1985-86 Minnesota North Stars NHL 70 21 37 58 67 +13 5 4 9 13 4
1986-87 Minnesota North Stars NHL 67 16 30 46 52 +5
1987-88 Minnesota North Stars NHL 22 7 4 11 15 +1
1988-89 Minnesota North Stars NHL 6 0 1 1 2 0
1988-89 Kalamazoo Wings IHL 5 1 5 6 4
1989-1998
1998-99 Lake Charles Ice Pirates WPHL 6 0 2 2 4 -2 3 0 0 0 2
NHL Totals 888 356 522 878 761 34 14 22 36 26
Metro OHA-B (ON-Jr.B) Rookie of the Year (1971)
OHA-Jr. Rookie of the Year (1973)
OMJHL MVP (1975) Played in NHL All-Star Game (1978, 1982) Transferred to Cleveland after California franchise relocated, August 26, 1976. Protected by Minnesota prior to Minnesota-Cleveland Dispersal Draft, June 15, 1978. Traded to Washington by Minnesota for Pittsburgh's 1st round pick (previously acquired, Minnesota selected Tom McCarthy) in 1979 NHL Draft, October 18, 1978. Traded to Minnesota by Washington for Minnesota's 2nd round pick (Stephen Leach) in 1984 NHL Draft, July 5, 1983. Signed as a free agent by Lake Charles (WPHL), March 3, 1999.
The Retro: Dennis Maruk on pranks, roller hockey, and his sweet Fu Manchu
by James Bisson · 2mo ago
Over the course of the 2017-18 season, theScore will run a series of interviews with former players, coaches, and officials in which they recall some of the greatest moments of their careers. This edition focuses on Dennis Maruk, who averaged nearly a point per game over 888 NHL regular-season contests with four teams and had a 60-goal season with Washington in 1981-82.
On whether he felt he should have been drafted higher than 21st overall in 1975 following a successful junior career:
I think in that situation, I had good numbers ... but truthfully, I thought I would have been drafted the year before as an 18-year-old due to the fact that I was pretty good. We had played exhibition games against the Washington Capitals in London (while with the OHL's London Knights), and I had scored a bunch of goals in those games, so I was disappointed at that time.
And of course, having that great last year of junior, and then not being drafted in the first round ... yeah, I know there was a lot of great talent in that draft. But I think the reason that I wasn't drafted higher was because of my size (5-foot-8, 158 pounds). It was a negative. I think I had all the skill teams were looking for, but basically it came down to them going with the bigger guys.
On his first NHL goal:
My first goal was in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens, against Wayne Thomas. My parents, my brothers and sisters, friends, and relatives were all at the game. I remember that one more than I remember (No. 50 in 1980-81) and (No. 60 in 1981-82) ... when I wrote my book ("Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man"), (co-writer Ken Reid) had to tell me the dates and all that. But I remember that first one.
On playing for the California Golden Seals in the mid-1970s:
In the 70s and early 80s, I don't think people realize how it was compared to the game today. I call it "survival" ... there was a lot of hitting, spearing, slashing, fighting. And you still had to play your game despite all that.
In my first year, I was a 5-foot-8, 158-pound hockey player. My body got beat up a lot. But playing in California was great ... I was 19 years old, the sun was shining, driving around in a Corvette, shorts and a T-shirt on, and great travel - we had those big planes. Our team wasn't the greatest, but we did okay. We just didn't have enough talent.
And then they moved to Cleveland. That was a big change.
On landing with the Capitals at the start of the 1978-79 season:
When (Minnesota and Cleveland) merged, (North Stars general manager) Lou Nanne contacted me and said, "We're staying with our centermen. I'm going to trade you for a first-round pick." I said, "Okay, well make sure you do it before the season starts so I can go to that city and get settled with my family."
Over the summer, Lou said, "Well, we didn't make the deal. We want you to come and play for the Minnesota North Stars. The fans will really like you." I called my lawyer and he said, "There are two teams that are really interested. When you get to Minnesota, just rent a home and go to training camp."
I had two games (with Minnesota) - I dressed for one and didn't play in the other one. I had one shift. Harry Howell was the coach, and I asked him after the first period what was up, and he said, "Well, we can't really play you. There are two teams interested."
I was all ready to go to the next game. I was about to be picked up by J.P. Parise and Brad Maxwell at five o'clock, and I got a phone call from (Capitals GM) Max McNab at twenty to five - I was being traded. And then a few minutes later, Lou Nanne calls me. So I found out from Washington first.
On the origin of his trademark Fu Manchu mustache:
You have to let it just grow, kind of like a beard. And then you put it into a goatee, and then you just shave the middle part from your lip down to your chin about two inches depending on how thick you want your Fu Manchu. That's how I grew it out - and I've always grown my hair pretty fast.
One year, I saw this pitcher from the Kansas City Royals, Al Hrabosky. He was going nuts on the mound. And I looked at him, and he's got the big Fu Manchu. And I thought to myself, "I'm going to keep it. Al can do it, I'm going to do it, too. It's going to be my mark in the NHL." And it was.
Everyone keeps saying, "Grow it back, grow it back." But I pretty much can't, because the girlfriend doesn't like it. (laughs) She likes the goatee better.
On the biggest talkers of his era:
There weren't a lot of guys who really chatted at me, because I gave it back. So I got a lot of respect right away.
When I played in Washington, the Philadelphia Flyers always chatted on the ice. Ken Linseman was a chatter. Mel Bridgman was a chatter. I can't say the words that were said, but it was a battle - with your sticks, and your hands, and what you would say to each other. But I have a lot of respect for guys like Bobby Clarke and Reggie Leach. Those guys had great careers.
On some of his favorite teammate pranks:
When I was with Oakland, Jim Neilson, the former Ranger ... we had a big party and he was sleeping in the lobby, and we lit his shoe on fire. And he had had so much to drink that he woke up, looked at it, and fell back asleep. We had to put it out for him. (laughs)
We'd have a big dinner, and one of the guys would take the head of a big fish and take it back to the hotel and put it in a guy's pillow case. You always had to check your skates and your helmet because you never knew what was going to happen. You could put your hand in your glove and pull your hand out ... and I can't say what would be on your hand, but you always checked.
There was always something done to someone every day. Every day.
On how he became one of the best goal scorers of the early-80s:
I'm not going to say I was a great goal scorer; I worked on things, and I learned a lot from goalies that played on my team. I would ask them a lot of questions, like what they looked at when a good goal scorer was coming down. I tried a few things like that in a game, and it worked.
I think it was mainly my quick release. I had a pretty good slap shot, but I kind of caught a lot of goalies off-guard with my quick release. I had a short stick and I kept the puck close to me, just like (Calgary Flames forward) Johnny Gaudreau. You lose a little reach, but you have the puck close to you and you can snap it quick where you catch goalies not thinking you're gonna shoot.
Of course, I had a lot of help from my linemates. You can't do that yourself - you have to have support. People talk a lot about my goals, but I consider myself more of a playmaker. I had more than 500 assists, and I could have had many more. I loved to make plays, and I loved to score goals.
On being traded out of Washington:
We had just gotten into the playoffs in Washington, and I was really shocked when I got traded back to Minnesota.
I had played one year at left wing, and Bryan Murray and David Poile met with me in the summer and said they were moving me back to center. And one week later, I got traded! I was really confused.
So I went to Minnesota, a good hockey team, and ended up not playing much. I was getting 60, 70 points as a fourth-line player; if I had played as much as I did in Washington, I probably would have had 100-plus points. It wasn't because of my talent, we just had too many good players.
We had to go up against the Oilers (in the playoffs), and they were a phenomenal team. You won't find a team with talent like that again. We just couldn't beat them. But to be able to play in the playoffs and go for the Stanley Cup was any player's dream. I struggled my first four, five years not getting into the playoffs. But that's the way life goes.
On being a Roller Hockey International coach after his playing career:
It was a lot of fun for the short time I was involved. I even played one game. (Former NHLer who coached the RHI's Chicago Cheetahs) Randy Boyd put himself in the lineup, so I said, "Well, if he's going to play, I'm going to play." (laughs) So I ended up playing a game.
Going from skates to wheels wasn't a problem. You just had to get used to the wheels, and how you had to turn and stop and that sort of thing. Going from wheels to skates was a little different. If you rollerbladed for a while and then put on a pair of skates, it's amazing the different muscles you use on blades versus hockey skates.
On playing for the WPHL's Lake Charles as a 43-year-old:
I was coaching there for a year and a half, and I got released. I was still living in Lake Charles, and the new coach and I had met a couple of times to talk about players because he had just come in from out west.
They had a couple of injuries and suspensions, and the coach asked me if I would be interested in skating in practice to help him with his lines. So I did it for a few weeks, and he goes, "Would you be interested in signing a five-game contract?" And I said, "Yeah, right. Why would you want me? These guys are all in their 20s and I'm in my 40s."
I ended up talking to the team by myself, and I said, "I'm not here to take any of your ice time away. I'll sign to play, but I'm only going to play a few shifts. I'm here to have fun with you guys." They made the decision for me that they wanted me in the lineup. So I ended up playing some games.
I had a lot of fun with it, but I got the weirdest names when I was out there. "You old man, you old fart ... you're losing more teeth." I would come back with, "Okay, how old are you? Where are you playing? Where did I play? You played in the NHL yet?" (laughs) They put those names away pretty quick.
On who he considers underrated from his era:
I would say Kent Nilsson. I was on the same line with him and Brian Bellows in Minnesota. Out of all the players that I played with, I don't think he got the respect for how great he was.
This guy had so much talent. Unbelievable. He was so shifty with the puck and had such a great shot. I don't think he got the breaks until he got to Edmonton. That happens with some guys. But he would be my choice for most underrated.
On what he would have done differently in his career:
I would have started out going to college.
My son went to Notre Dame. He didn't go on to play in the NHL but he has a wonderful job. When you hear stories of people getting ready for college ... I got traded when I was 15, 16 years old. I had to leave my family and go live with people in London. Those things were hard - you had to grow up fast.
When I think back to it, I would have liked to have gone to college rather than going straight to junior. I missed four years of what a lot of people get to do in their life, meeting people and getting an eduction, getting some structure. I think that's the way I'd go.
__________
Rapid Fire
Best player he ever played with: Ryan Walter
Best player he ever played against: Wayne Gretzky
Best goalie he ever faced: Ken Dryden
Favorite coach of all time: Bryan Murray
Favorite visiting arena: Chicago Stadium
__________
Fact File
Born: November 17, 1955, Toronto, ON
Drafted: Second round (21st overall), 1975, California Golden Seals
Teams: California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons (1975-78), Minnesota North Stars (1978, 1983-89), Washington Capitals (1978-83)
NHL STATS GP G A P PIM
Regular Season 888 356 522 878 761
Playoffs 34 14 12 36 26
(Special thanks to the NHL Alumni Association for its assistance.)
Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man
Publishers Weekly. 264.35 (Aug. 28, 2017): p117.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man
Dennis Maruk, with Ken Reid. ECW (Legato, U.S. dist.; Jaguar, Canadian dist.), $25.95 (200p) ISBN 978-1-77041-331-3
Fast-moving and short could describe both Maruk and his memoir. At five feet eight, the Toronto native entered the NHL in the 1975-1976 season with the lowly California Seals. As an 18-year-old rookie, he wasn't expected to make the team, but he took the advice of NHL player Dave Hutchison to "be a prick" on the ice to heart, sporting a Fu Manchu mustache to help him look and feel tougher. His entire career, aside from two stints in Minnesota, was spent playing for teams based in Oakland, Washington, D.C., and Cleveland, cities where it was hard to sell hockey. "I was a guy who played for teams that just couldn't put fans into seats," he laments. Written with broadcaster Reid (Hockey Card Stories), the book is cleverly divided into 60 chapters to reflect Maruk's achievement of 60 goals in a season, though that often means that sections are brief and end abruptly. Maruk writes honestly about his failed marriages, his battles with depression, and his difficulty finding a posthockey life, and there's enough insight into the business side of the game (including the bizarre merger of the Barons and North Stars), his teammates, and on-the-road hijinks to please any hardcore hockey fan. Agent: Brian J. Wood. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey's Forgotten 60-Goal Man." Publishers Weekly, 28 Aug. 2017, p. 117. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502652657/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=cd90a84c. Accessed 16 Feb. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502652657
Book Review: Dennis Maruk
When thinking of hockey’s greatest scorers, it is easy to overlook Dennis Maruk. Twice he put up 50 or more goals and was nearly a point-per-game player in his 14-year NHL career. But if you look at the sad-sack teams Maruk was doomed to play on — the California Golden Seals, the Cleveland Barons, the Minnesota North Stars and the Washington Capitals — it is easy to understand why Maruk is often forgotten. Three of the four teams he played on don’t even exist anymore, and the Capitals were so bad in the early 1980s that the team almost moved.
Perhaps it is the lack of press that Maruk got during his career that makes his new book, entitled “Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man,” so appealing. Thousands of words have been written about Bobby Orr’s Cup-clinching goal, but not so much about the feisty center with the Fu Manchu. Maruk’s book is co-authored by SportsNet’s Ken Reid (“One Night Only,” “Hockey Card Stories“) and puts a much-deserved spotlight on Maruk’s stellar NHL career.
Notes
Title: Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man
Author: Dennis Maruk & Ken Reid
Pages: 200 pages
Size: 6″ x 9″
Format: Hardcover
Price: $25.95 U.S./ $29.95 Canada
Get it at Amazon for less
Publisher: ECW Press
Right away, Maruk addresses the elephant in the room — his famous Fu Manchu-style mustache that was his trademark.. He then goes chronologically throughout his career, sometimes jumping a bit ahead in his timeline when necessary. Maruk dreamed of playing in Toronto — first as a junior for the Marlboros , then the Maple Leafs if he could impress enough to get drafted by them. But destiny proved otherwise, as Gordie Howe, of all people, inadvertently scuttled Maruk’s plan to play for the Marlies. Three years later, Maruk would become, in his own words, a “hockey vagabond,” plying his trade in half-empty arenas in hockey doldrums like Oakland and Cleveland.
Yet, Maruk was upbeat during most of his career, despite the constant setbacks. Reid dug up a few old articles that quote Maruk from back in the day and recount the brighter points in his career, such as his two All-Star Game appearances and capping off a 60-goal season in 1981-82.
Like a lot of hockey player autobiographies, Maruk tends to gloss over the latter years of his career, when injuries and indifferent coaches limited his ice time. But those years tend to be the most interesting, as the player must cope with the reality that nothing lasts forever and have to figure out what comes next; this is usually a major turning point in a player’s life — and in the subsequent book about his life. More about the end of Maruk’s NHL career would have been welcome here.
However, Maruk does freely share that he went to some very dark places once his hockey career ended. The fact that he is willing to open up and talk about his saddest, most vulnerable moments give another dimension to Maruk once we look past his 60-goal season and famous mustache.
Excerpt that epitomizes “Dennis Maruk”: In the spring of 1982, I was a 60-goal man. Then I was told I was a left-winger. Then I was told I was traded. And now, in Minnesota, less than two years after scoring 60, I was fighting for ice-time. Welcome to my hockey career: I had to constantly prove myself.
There was only one way to do it: play the game that I knew. One thing that I was not going to change in Minnesota was the way I played the game. Those valuable words, “Be a prick,” stuck with me. And in the mid-1980s, if an undersized forward people called Pee-Wee was going to survive, being a prick was an absolute necessity.
What I like about “Dennis Maruk”: We have all read about some of the best teams in history, but Maruk fills us in on what it was like to play for some of the worst — including one that held a “save the team” fundraiser! He also gives us a look at at the pro hockey lifestyle in the 1970s and 1980s, and isn’t afraid to call out those who stifled his career.
What I do not like about “Dennis Maruk”: Honestly, I wanted a bit more about the bad years at the end of his career. Also, the book has 60 — get it? — short chapters, with many being around two pages long. There is nothing wrong with that stylistic choice by the authors, but sometimes it felt like the scene kept changing too quickly.
Review of "Dennis Maruk"
Every now and then, a book comes out that will bring back some good sports memories even before I read it. That was the case with this book, as I remembered Dennis Maruk during his seasons with the Minnesota North Stars, the team I loved growing up and later as a young adult before they left for Dallas. Even though Maruk had his best season with the Washington Capitals, I was eager to read his memoir. This is my review of that story.
Title/Author:
“Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man” by Dennis Maruk with Ken Reid
Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional, memoir, Seals, Barons, North Stars, Capitals
Publish date:
October 17, 2017
Length:
320 pages
Rating:
4 of 5 stars (very good)
Review:
There have been only 20 players who have scored at least 60 goals in one season during the 100 year history of the National Hockey League. Most of them are well known stars such as Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Phil Esposito. There was also a player who was considered too short to be successful in the game and often toiled for poor teams who was the seventh player to scored 60 goals. That player is Dennis Maruk. His memoir, co-written with hockey scribe Ken Reid, tells of the story of a player who always had to prove he belonged in the game and lived just as obscure a life after hockey.
The consistent theme throughout the book for Maruk is that he always would do what he felt needed to be done. Whether it was on the ice during his days in junior hockey or the NHL, he would always believe he had to prove himself. Whether it was to show his junior coaches he could play, to prove in NHL training camp that he didn’t need to go to the minor leagues (the only time he played in the minor leagues was well into his career when he did a rehab stint in the minors) or to gain more ice time, Maruk’s stories about his career sounded like he played with a constant chip on his shoulder.
Even during his amazing season in 1981-82, when he scored 60 goals for the Washington Capitals, he felt responsible for the fact the team did not make the playoffs. In those days, that was not easy as 16 of the 21 teams in the league would do so. Also, that season is when Wayne Gretzky set the all-time record for goals scored with 92 and points with 212. In comparison, Maruk’s 60 goals seem small potatoes and because so much attention was given to Gretzky’s accomplishments, this was barely noticed, even in Washington. While Maruk doesn’t express any bitterness toward this, the overall tone set in the book will make the reader wonder whether deep down, he does.
This also the case with his teams – his first professional team, the California Golden Seals, was a lost soul among NHL clubs, first struggling in the Bay Area, then moving to Cleveland and playing in a large empty arena and finally merging with the Minnesota North Stars. After the merger, the North Stars traded Maruk to the Capitals, where he had that magical season. Later, he headed back to Minnesota and played there for a few more seasons before retiring in 1989. His life after hockey was filled with many encounters with celebrities. Maruk talks most about his interaction with Kurt Russell, who played Herb Brooks in the movie “Miracle.” Maruk played for Brooks for one season with the North Stars, and was the coach with whom he had the most pleasant memories in the book.
Maruk also talks about the problems he had in his personal life, including his two divorces and his depression in which his daughter talked him out of a dark place in his life. He held various jobs after hockey, including working on a boat in the Gulf of Mexico. These stories made this memoir a little different than many. Also, another unusual aspect of this sports memoir is that Maruk often states that he didn’t remember many of his career milestones, such as his first NHL goal, although at least that wasn’t the case for his 60th in 1982. It wasn’t because he was in a fog, hung over (although he does talk about alcoholism) or high – he simply states he doesn’t remember. Aside from some drinks, he wasn’t a hard partier or seen with many women – he just did the work that he felt needed to be done.
This book was a very quick read – it took me less than a two hour sitting to complete it, another rarity in sports memoirs. It is one that is recommended for hockey fans who either remember him and his play, as I did, or for readers who want to learn more about the forgotten 60-goal man.
I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Book Format Read:
E-book (Kindle)