Daniel Marois

For a couple of seasons, Daniel Marois was the talk of Toronto. Along with fellow Frenchman Vincent Damphousse, the duo were taking the NHL by storm. The Leafs, who also had another great tandem in Ed Olczyk and Gary Leeman, were one of the more exciting offensive teams. Unfortunately the team's chemistry fell apart. Marois and Damphousse were take off the same line and later Damphousse, who has made a career out of making players around him better, was traded away. Marois was never able to regain his status as a top sniper in the game.

Marois relied on his good hockey sense to become a top goal scorer. He broke into the league in 1988-89 and scored 31 goals as a rookie. The following year he moved up to 39 goals. Marois was one dimensional in the sense that he was a goal scorer. He had terrific eye-hand coordination and a quick release, and an uncanny knack to get open at the right time. He was a very good skater and a powerplay specialist.

Damphousse, and center iceman Tom Fergus, were solid two way players who specialized in setting up plays, so Marois was a good fit on that line. However he had his shortcomings - most notably his lack of strength and a non-existent defensive game. He also lacked the vision set up plays to his linemates.

After those back to back 30 plus goal seasons, Marois found himself losing confidence in his game after a season of injuries decimated the Leafs lineup. Damphousse was moved to a new line while Fergus played in only 14 games due to a groin injury. He was reduced to 21 goals and just 9 assists. The following year he scored just 15 times before being traded to the New York Islanders.

The move out of Toronto was just what Marois needed to get his career back on track, but fate would not allow that. Serious back problems began plaguing Marois for the rest of his career. He struggled with the Islanders, and later with the Boston Bruins and briefly with the Dallas Stars. He spent considerable time in the minor leagues and on the injury list as well.

By 1997 Marois had left North America and became a top import in various European leagues