We all hear about the massively promoted autobiographies of Wendell Clark, Doug Gilmour, Chris Nilan and Bob Probert. If you dig a little deeper, there are many, many more former NHL players that have written about their lives before, during and after their days in pro hockey. In addition, there are some great books chronicling the forgotten history of the game with teams like the Golden Seals, North Stars and Montreal Maroons.
This is the first of what hopefully will be a regular monthly series that is meant to help the readers of VHCR discover these great reads. I have a Kindle full of great hockey books. Some, I’ve already completed while many more are sitting in queue. These stories simply open us up to the fact that there’s much more to these guys than the 60 minutes between the start and end of each game.
For the December, 2017 article, we’re looking at these three books (the following 3 links redirect to Amazon for more information):
Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man
Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton
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Dennis Maruk
Gilles Gratton
California Golden Seals
Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man
Book Description
This book is written by Dennis Maruk with help from Ken Reid and a foreword by Hockey Hall of Fame standout Marcel Dionne. Through Amazon, it is available in both paperback and Kindle format. There are 320 pages of information on the life of this outstanding sniper.
From the back cover: Only 20 men in NHL history have scored 60 or more goals in a single season: Gretzky, Lemieux, and Hull all hit the magical mark. And so did an undersized, take-no-prisoners centre named Dennis Maruk. When Maruk found the back of the net 60 times in 1981–82, he was the toast of Washington ― he even dined with the president. A few short years later, he was out of the game. Maruk not only left the rink, his life did a complete 180. Instead of flying up the ice and in on goal, he was behind the wheel of a service ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Instead of setting up teammates, he was setting up furniture for Goldie Hawn. He was never sent down to the farm as a rookie, but after the game he was a farmhand for John Oates. And instead of fighting in the corners, Dennis Maruk found himself fighting for his life.
Dennis Maruk NHL Highlights
Dennis Maruk played in 888 regular season National Hockey League games between 1975-76 and 1988-89 with the California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars and Washington Capitals. Over that time, he scored 356 goals and assisted on 522 for 878 points. In 34 Stanley Cup playoff games, he added 36 points.
In 1980-81, Maruk scored 50 goals for the Washington Capitals and placed eighth in the NHL. The following year, he added ten to that with 60 goals for the Caps. That total placed him third in the league behind just Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy. That 1981-82 season, Dennis totaled 136 points, good for fourth in the league. Alex Ovechkin has since broken his team record for goals in a season but that point total remains as a Washington best.
Dennis Maruk Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 1971-72 | Toronto Marlboros | OHA | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 1972-73 | London Knights | OHA | 59 | 46 | 67 | 113 | 54 |
| 1973-74 | London Knights | OHA | 69 | 47 | 65 | 112 | 61 |
| 1974-75 | London Knights | OHA | 65 | 66 | 79 | 145 | 53 |
| 1975-76 | California Seals | NHL | 80 | 30 | 32 | 62 | 44 |
| 1976-77 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 80 | 28 | 50 | 78 | 68 |
| 1977-78 | Cleveland Barons | NHL | 76 | 36 | 35 | 71 | 50 |
| 1978-79 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1978-79 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 76 | 31 | 59 | 90 | 71 |
| 1979-80 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 27 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 8 |
| 1980-81 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 50 | 47 | 97 | 87 |
| 1981-82 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 60 | 76 | 136 | 128 |
| 1982-83 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 80 | 31 | 50 | 81 | 71 |
| 1983-84 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 71 | 17 | 43 | 60 | 42 |
| 1984-85 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 71 | 19 | 41 | 60 | 56 |
| 1985-86 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 70 | 21 | 37 | 58 | 67 |
| 1986-87 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 67 | 16 | 30 | 46 | 52 |
| 1987-88 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 15 |
| 1988-89 | Kalamazoo Wings | IHL | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| 1988-89 | Minnesota North Stars | NHL | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998-99 | Lake Charles Ice Pirates | WPHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| NHL Totals | 888 | 356 | 522 | 878 | 761 |
Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton
Book Description
This book is written by Gilles Gratton with help from Greg Oliver. Gratton has often been considered a complete nut case. However, this book serves as proof that behind all the antics, there was indeed a sane, and very intelligent, person. There are few that have received legendary status from just five years of major league hockey. The book is 260 pages long and from Amazon comes in paperback and Kindle form.
From the back cover:
One of hockey’s most colourful characters, from hockey’s most colourful era, tells all
Gilles Gratton was not a typical pro hockey player. He refused to don his equipment and man his net if the planets were not properly aligned. He skated naked at practice. He created one of hockey’s most famous goalie masks based on his astrological sign. He fought with coaches and management, speaking his mind to his detriment. Sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll ruled his life, not stopping pucks. Truthfully? He never really wanted to be an NHL goaltender; he wanted to be Tibetan monk. And so, he quit hockey to seek enlightenment.
Now, in his autobiography, Gratton teams up with author Greg Oliver to tell his wild and at times, yes, loony story: from his early days in Montreal, where his brother Norm Gratton became an NHL player, too; through his stints with the OHA’s Oshawa Generals, the Ottawa Nationals and Toronto Toros of the rogue WHA, and the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers in the NHL.
Gilles Gratton NHL/WHA Highlights
After what was a pretty indifferent junior career with the Oshawa Generals, Gilles Gratton jumped at a chance to play in the upstart World Hockey Association and make more money than the NHL superstars of the time. His WHA career started with the Ottawa Nationals in 1972-73 and he moved with the franchise to Toronto, playing for the Toros in 1973-74 and 1974-75.
The Buffalo Sabres selected Gratton in the fifth round of the 1972 NHL Amateur Draft, 69th overall. However, it was with the St. Louis Blues that he played his first games in the league. Gilles appeared in six games with the Blues in 1975-76. The following year, he appeared in 41 games with the New York Rangers before falling over the edge of the hockey world.
Gilles Gratton Career Stats
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | A | PIM | SO | GAA |
| 1969-70 | Oshawa Generals | OHA | 26 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4.99 |
| 1970-71 | Oshawa Generals | OHA | 47 | 1 | 40 | 0 | 5.00 |
| 1971-72 | Oshawa Generals | OHA | 50 | 0 | 24 | 5 | 3.55 |
| 1972-73 | Ottawa Nationals | WHA | 51 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 3.71 |
| 1973-74 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 57 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 3.53 |
| 1974-75 | Toronto Toros | WHA | 52 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 3.85 |
| 1975-76 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2.49 |
| 1976-77 | New York Rangers | NHL | 41 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 4.22 |
| 1977-78 | New Haven Nighthawks | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 |
| NHL Totals | 47 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 4.02 | ||
| WHA Totals | 160 | 9 | 46 | 4 | 3.69 |
The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL’s Most Outlandish Teams
Book Description
This book serves as a bible of the history of the Oakland Seals / California Seals franchise. The book is written by Steve Currier and is available in hardcover or Kindle versions. This book is lengthy at 496 pages.
From Amazon: Hockey has had its share of bizarre tales over the years, but none compares to the fascinating story of the California Golden Seals, a team that remains the benchmark for how not to run a sports franchise. From 1967 to 1978, a revolving door of players, apathetic owners, and ridiculous marketing decisions turned the Seals, originally based in Oakland, into hockey’s traveling circus.
The team lost tons of money and games, cheated death more often than Evel Knievel, and left behind a long trail of broken dreams. Live seals were used as mascots, players wore skates that were painted white on an almost-daily basis, and draft picks were dealt away nonchalantly like cards at a poker game. One general manager was hauled in for questioning by mysterious men because he’d mismanaged a player contract, while one of the team’s goaltenders regularly spat tobacco juice at the feet of referees.
The California Golden Seals examines the franchise’s entire mismanaged—but always interesting—history, from its ballyhooed beginnings as a minor-league champion in the 1960s to its steep slide into oblivion in the late 1970s after moving to Cleveland. Through a comprehensive season-by-season narrative and a section of definitive statistics, Currier brings to life the Seals’ entire history with lighthearted anecdotes, personal interviews, and statistics about hockey’s most infamous losing team.
California Golden Seals NHL History
The Oakland Seals were one of six expansion teams that started play in the National Hockey League for the 1967-68 season, doubling the league in size. For the 1970-71 season, they became the California Golden Seals. In their final two seasons before moving to Cleveland for the 1976-77 season, the team was known as the California Seals. The name changes did nothing to change the fortunes of the franchise.
The club reached the post season just twice, in 1968-69 and 1969-70, and never won a series. They did come close in 1968-69, losing to the Los Angeles Kings in seven games. Over the series, the Seals outscored the Kings 25-23 and held 2-1 and 3-2 series leads before losing the final two games. The following year, they were swept in the opening round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Home games for the team were played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, a venue that seated 13,601 for hockey at the time. Interestingly, the team’s highest average attendance came in their final season when it reached 6,944.
The Golden Seals weren’t without big names. During their time in the NHL, the team used the services of Ivan Boldirev, Reggie Leach, Dennis Maruk, Walt McKechnie, Gilles Meloche, Jim Neilson, Charlie Simmer and Carol Vadnais. Unfortunately, these players were often either at the very start or very end of their NHL careers.
California Golden Seals Year by Year Record
| Team | Division | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA |
| Oakland Seals | Western | 74 | 15 | 42 | 17 | 47 | 153 | 219 |
| Oakland Seals | Western | 76 | 29 | 36 | 11 | 69 | 219 | 251 |
| Oakland Seals | Western | 76 | 22 | 40 | 14 | 58 | 169 | 243 |
| California Golden Seals | West | 78 | 20 | 53 | 5 | 45 | 199 | 320 |
| California Golden Seals | West | 78 | 21 | 39 | 18 | 60 | 216 | 288 |
| California Golden Seals | West | 78 | 16 | 46 | 16 | 48 | 213 | 323 |
| California Golden Seals | West | 78 | 13 | 55 | 10 | 36 | 195 | 342 |
| California Seals | Adams | 80 | 19 | 48 | 13 | 51 | 212 | 316 |
| California Seals | Adams | 80 | 27 | 42 | 11 | 65 | 250 | 278 |