As a youth, Maruk played in the 1968
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a
minor ice hockey team from
Etobicoke. Maruk played junior "A" hockey in the
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the
London Knights before he was drafted in the
1975 NHL Amateur Draft by the
California Golden Seals. His first goal came in Toronto at
Maple Leaf Gardens to the delight of his family and friends that attended the game. While with the Seals, he became the first NHL rookie to score five shorthanded goals in a season. Maruk followed the franchise when it relocated to Cleveland to become the
Cleveland Barons a year later. Maruk's rights were later obtained by the
Minnesota North Stars after the Barons merged with them in 1978, but he was traded on October 17
Washington Capitals for a first round pick. During his time with the Capitals, he scored
50 goals in
1980–81 and 60 goals in
1981–82; his mark of 76 assists and
136 points in the 1981–82 season remain franchise records for a single-season. Maruk was the first Capitals player to score 100 points in a season. Dubiously, Maruk set a new record as the first 60-goal scorer to play on a team that missed the playoffs (he would later be surpassed by
Mario Lemieux in 1988). For a time, Maruk had a distinct "Fu Manchu" mustache, which was inspired by seeing
Al Hrabosky on television playing with one. In
1982–83, Maruk was one of the players instrumental in leading the Capitals to their first playoff appearance. Despite this, he was traded back to the North Stars on July 5, 1983 where he finished his career. At the time of his retirement in 1989, he was the last active NHL player to have played for the Seals/Barons franchise, although
Charlie Simmer played later than him in minor leagues. Maruk was also the last Minnesota North Stars player to wear the number 9 prior to
Mike Modano. In 888 NHL games, he scored 356 goals and had 522 assists for a total of 878. For all retired players who played less than 1,000 career games, Maruk ranks 12th all-time. For a time, Maruk was a coach with
Roller Hockey International and even inserted himself into a game. Ten years after his NHL career ended, at the age of 43, he was living in Lake Charles when the team in the
Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) asked him to help the team by playing a few shifts, and he decided to oblige them and wound up playing six games. In 2017, Maruk worked with Ken Reid on a book titled
Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockeys Forgotten 60-Goal Man. ==Career statistics==