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)
Buying Links:
https://www.amazon.com/Dennis-Maruk-Unforgettable-Hockeys-Forgotten-ebook/dp/B06ZYJR5F8/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1507508658&sr=1-1&keywords=dennis+maruk+book
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