Forgotten Superstars-Dennis Maruk

I bet that few of you know that Dennis Maruk was the first star of two failing franchises.
I bet fewer know that Dennis Maruk finished his career with 356 goals and was the main and often only reason to watch those two bad teams play,but both statements are true.

Dennis Maruk was the only star in the two year stint of the Cleveland Barons (love those Barons jerseys!) in the NHL and he was the first true goal scoring standout of the Washington Capitals at a time before the Capitals started making playoffs and struggled to attract fans to the Capital Centre.

Maruk would score over 30 goals for three different teams (California,Cleveland and Washington) and would peak with back to back seasons in Washington in the early 80's that saw him score 50 and then 60 goals!

The 5'9 Maruk was always a fan favorite with his small stature and fast skating came to mind a few years back when Martin St.Louis began to post big numbers in Tampa and to me their games have a lot in common.
The flair of Maruk in hockey cities failing at the gate and saddled with poor records often were the only reasons for fans in Cleveland and Washington to attend games at suburban arenas (remember when they were the rage?) and still walk away feeling rewarded at the end of the night.

Maruk only scored fewer than 28 goals once in his first nine years in the NHL in an injury plagued 1979-80 when he scored just ten goals,albeit in 27 games,showing him as a dependable goal scorer that didn't waver from year to year.
Sure,the 50 and 60 goal years were anomalies,but they are for most players,but Maruk was still a consistent 30 plus goal scorer and could be counted on as such.
Maruk dropped after those two seasons to a 31 goal year and Washington must have seen him as a fading player as they shipped him to Minnesota shortly after the season.

The Capitals thoughts were on the right track as Maruk was never the same player as a North Star as in four seasons,Maruk's high water mark in goals was just 21.
Maruk still ranks 9th all time on the Washington goal scoring list,which is not too shabby for just five full seasons of play and to this day is the franchises all time leader in points per game.

I would make the argument for influence on the franchise,Dennis Maruk could certainly make a case for having his number retired in Washington,he certainly is more deserving than Yvon Labre.
Welcome,Dennis Maruk to the Forgotten Superstars universe for a underrated career.

Check tomorrow for the beginning of a new interview!