NHL Legend: Dennis Maruk

What does it take to play sports professionally? Skill, ability, persistence, and motivation are several factors when it comes to many areas of life, but especially so in professional sports. Sometimes, a player’s size is also a factor.

For NHL legend Dennis Maruk his size and height were obstacles in the eyes of others when it came to being drafted and signed into the NHL. He needed to be persistent in proving himself as an outstanding athlete if he ever had hopes to play in the “big man’s game.”

Maruk started playing hockey when he was eight years old and the sport quickly became a passion for him. He began playing competitively as a young teenager in his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, with the Ontario Hockey Association Junior Division.

“There’s no guarantee,” Maruk says. “Even when drafted you didn’t know.”

This was the beginning of Maruk’s incredible 15-year journey and career with the NHL. He played with a few different teams for the first several years of his career, but his major highlights stand with the Washington Capitals with whom he played for from 1978-83.

With the Washington Capitals Maruk scored 50 goals in the 1980-81 season, and then surpassed this record in the 1981-82 season when he scored 60 goals. This team record with the Capitals was only recently broken by Alex Ovechkin who scored 65 goals in the 2007-08 season.

Maruk continues to hold the record with the Washington Capitals for achieving the most points in one season accumulating 136 points in 1981-82. During this season he was fourth in the league for total points, just behind Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy and Peter Stastny.

The superb skills Maruk displayed on the ice led him to play in two NHL All-Star Games: the first in 1978 when he played with the Cleveland Barons, and again in 1982 as a Washington Capital. Playing in the All-Star Games were memorable experiences for him, although he does acknowledge that today’s All-Star games are more interactive with the players and the audience with speed races, hardest slapshot competitions, etc.

Maruk also played hockey internationally during his NHL career. He played for Team Canada winning bronze medals in 1978 and 1982, and the World Championships in 1978, 1979, 1981 and 1983.

Maruk ended his career with the Minnesota North Stars in 1989 whom he played with from 1983-1989. His career ended in 1989 when his kneecap shattered during a game. Although he healed significantly, he didn’t feel 100% to return to hockey.

“I probably could have played a few more years, but I felt it was time to move on,” Maruk says.

As was common for retired NHL hockey players from that era, the ending of his career led to many years of struggling as he had not prepared for post-career life. During his time in the NHL Maruk was told that there would be opportunities available for retirees, but these opportunities rarely presented themselves.

He briefly worked on the business side of the NHL but didn’t feel it was a good fit for him. From there, Maruk held different positions which included teaching hockey to children and adults of all ages in the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has also become involved in charity games and is an active member with the NHL Alumni.

Maruk explains that parts of the book were difficult to write as they were “personal situations,” but he felt it was important to provide a full picture of his story. He notes that his life hasn’t been all “peaches ‘n cream.”

There is a great deal in his book that pertains to overcoming adversity, such as moving from home at such a young age, how his size affected his NHL prospects, and dealing with anxiety, depression, and addiction.

As it turns out, Maruk’s book hit the shelves in his 60^th year, encompassing 60 chapters, and celebrating his 60 goals in the title of his book.

The book’s chapters are unlike traditional hockey autobiographies that can be 30-40 pages long. Rather, he chose to make the chapters short, quick reads which helps make the book more interesting and unique. Maruk’s book has been well-received, and he often brings copies for fans at the charity events he participates in.

Currently, COVID has made participating in these events difficult, but Maruk is hoping to get back into playing charity games and attending alumni events as soon as restrictions are lifted.