John Marks Made NHL History Before The First Minute Was Over
John Marks wasted absolutely no time making NHL history on November 13, 1975. The Chicago Blackhawks forward scored twice within the opening 33 seconds against the Philadelphia Flyers at the Spectrum, setting a new NHL record for the fastest two goals by one player from the start of a game.
Marks scored unassisted just 14 seconds into the game, then struck again 19 seconds later with help from Pit Martin and Cliff Koroll. The previous record had belonged to Bill Hicke of the Oakland Seals, who scored twice in the first 1:33 back in 1969.
Chicago jumped out to a huge 5-1 lead, but the Flyers stormed back behind a four-point night from Gary Dornhoefer. Philadelphia even scored three goals in a span of 50 seconds bridging the second and third periods before the game eventually ended in a wild 5-5 tie.
Years later, Mike Knuble of the Boston Bruins broke the record with two goals in the opening 27 seconds of a 2003 game against Florida. Still, Marks’ explosive start remains one of the most shocking openings in NHL history.
