Share: Dennis Maruk might have had the quietest 60-goal season in NHL history.

The then-Washington Capitals forward just happened to do it when some guy wearing No. 99 was on his way to a record 92 in 1981-82. One of only 19 NHL players to score 60 goals in a season, the former London Knight was just one of the guys recently at a charity event in Kingston, where he stopped to sign some autographs and mingle with the fans like many of the other ex-pros with far fewer goals to their names. (The biggest star probably was a local lad named Doug Gilmour, who was a goalie for a day.) It’s safe to say other members of the 60-goal club would receive rock-star treatment at such an event — guys like Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux or Phil Esposito. But the diminutive Maruk always has sort of flown under the radar, partially because he played for non-powers like the California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and the Capitals. He made only four playoff appearances in his 14-year career. “But to be there and get there was what was most important. It really wasn’t a concern who I played for. I made it to the National Hockey League and was able to play against some great players. I played against Bobby Orr, Marcel Dionne and Phil Esposito at the end of their careers. And, of course, the great Flyers, Islanders and Gretzky. “It has been a great, great ride for me. Yeah, I would have loved to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs, I always wanted to. Or, the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Original Six teams. But they can only have 20 guys on a team, so I was satisfied where I was.”
Now coaching a minor midget team in Toronto and working for an advertising-marketing company, Maruk had back-to-back 50-goal seasons with the Caps, scoring 50 in 1980-81 before netting 60 the following year — seasons that ended with Washington missing the playoffs.