How Marleau's 4-goal period compares to other rare feats

Patrick Marleau had himself a better Monday than most.

With a monster third frame that saw the veteran San Jose Sharks forward become the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1997 to score four goals in a period, Marleau busted his way out of a seven-game goalless drought in a big (and surprising) way.

More shocking than the 37-year-old becoming the first player in 20 years to put home four goals in a frame is the fact that it’s been done before—a few times. Marleau is the 12th player in NHL history to accomplish the feat, joining a group that includes Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Bryan Trottier and Peter Bondra, among others. In honour of Marleau’s milestone, here’s a look at some of the NHL’s most mind-blowing single game feats:

6 points in one period

New York Islanders legend and Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier put up six points in a single period on Dec. 23, 1978. After scoring a first-period goal, Trottier scored three times and had three assists in the second, and ended his night by adding another tally in the third—finishing the game with five goals and three assists for eight points in a 9-4 victory over the New York Rangers.

3 short-handed goals in one game

Theo Fleury was one of the best penalty killers of the 1990s, and never was that skill set more evident than on March 9, 1991, when Fleury scored three short-handed goals in a single game. Two of his three tallies came on the same penalty as Calgary beat down the St. Louis Blues by a score of 8-4.

9 penalties in one period

With more than 1,430 penalty minutes and only 37 points in nearly 400 career NHL games, it’s fitting that rugged defenceman Randy Holt’s record is one based around fisticuffs rather than points. On March 11, 1979, Holt set a new NHL standard by recording nine penalties in a single period. During the first frame of a game between the Kings and Philadelphia Flyers, Holt had 22 penalty minutes under his belt before the game was barely underway, finishing with 67 PIMs on the night, also an NHL record.

80 saves in a game

Though his stellar night wasn’t captured on video, trending on Twitter or liked on Instagram, Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Sam LoPresti had probably the greatest single-game goaltending performance of all time. On March 4, 1941, LoPresti made 80 saves on 83 shots in a 3-2 loss to Boston. Both (saves and shots against) are records that still stand today. Kelly Hrudey holds the record for most saves in a single playoff game with 73.

7 assists in one game

Finally, there can be no legitimate list of near-untouchable records without including the Great One. Tallying seven assists in one game is among the 61 records that Wayne Gretzky holds or shares, accomplishing the feat on three separate occasions (Feb. 15, 1980; Dec. 11, 1985; Feb. 14, 1986). Former Maple Leaf Billy Taylor shares that record with Gretzky, putting up seven helpers on March 16, 1947.