Washington Capitals: Dennis Maruk first legit scoring threat

Before Alex Ovechkin, Peter Bondra and Mike Gartner filled the net for the Washington Capitals, there was Dennis Maruk. His prolific shot scored 182 in five seasons.

For five seasons, Washington Capitals center Dennis Maruk terrorized goalies across the National Hockey League.

For the Caps, he was their first bona fide superstar. Along with Bob Carpenter, Mike Gartner and legendary captain Rod Langway, Washington made the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 1983.

Outside a few optimists, no one cared the three-time defending Cup champion New York Islanders won the best-of-five in four. The Caps finally played in the postseason and Maruk’s production was a huge factor.

Drafted by the old…