Only 20 men in NHL history have scored 60 or more goals in a single season.
A sometimes forgotten member of this select club is an undersized, take-no-prisoners centre named Dennis Maruk. And it’s only fitting that Dennis is our guest on episode 60 of the Pro Hockey Alumni Podcast.
As a junior in the OHA, Maruk was the one of the greatest players in London Knights history, but his 5-8 height scared off NHL teams until the second round of the 1975 Draft, where he was chosen by the woebegone California Seals. After a standout rookie season in Oakland, Maruk and his mates moved to Cleveland, where he continued to star while the franchise floundered.
After just two seasons in Ohio, the Cleveland Barons were merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978, but Maruk was dispatched to Washington after 2 just games. It was in DC where Maruk would emerge as one of the NHL’s premier centers, scoring 50 goals in 1980-81 and following that with the incredible 60-goal, 76-assist campaign in 1981-82.
Maruk led the improving Caps in scoring in 1982-83, but was traded back to Minnesota and slotted as the team’s 3rd line center. Amidst reduced playing time, Maruk adjusted to his new role would become one the Stars top post-season performers in the notorious “Chuck Norris” Division in the 1980s.
As chronicled in his riveting 2017 autobiography with author Ken Reid, Maruk’s post playing days took him from hockey superstar to behind the wheel of a service ship in the Gulf of Mexico, to carrying bags as a bellhop at an Aspen hotel, to setting up furniture for Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, to working as a farmhand for musician John Oates.
And ultimately Maruk’s life path took him to a life-and-death decision at edge of the Grand Canyon.
Dennis is a great interview and you’ll love his recollections of a fascinating career and life. Among the teammates, coaches and opponents we discuss are: Gilles Meloche, Bob "Hound" Kelly, Ryan Walter, Jean Pronovost, Kent Nilsson, Herb Brooks, Charlie Simmer, Bryan Murray and more.
After our talk with Dennis, stick around for "PHA Overtime" with this week's news and notes from our Facebook pages featuring the Hartford Whalers, Boston Bruins, World Hockey Association and Pro Hockey Alumni as well as a postscript to the Maruk interview.
Host: Mark Willand
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