01/31/1920 • 5 views
Joe Malone Sets NHL Single-Game Record with Seven Goals
On January 31, 1920, Montreal Canadiens forward Joe Malone scored seven goals in a single NHL game against the Toronto St. Pats, a record that still stands in NHL history.
Context
The early NHL was a seven-team, rougher, higher-scoring league compared with many later eras. Malone, a prolific goal scorer who began his major professional career in the NHA (National Hockey Association) before the NHL was formed, was already established as one of the preeminent offensive talents of his time. His playing style and the era’s rules and equipment contributed to higher individual point totals than would be common in later decades.
The game
Records show Malone scored his seven goals in a single contest between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto St. Pats on January 31, 1920. Contemporary box scores and later NHL statistical compilations list Malone with seven goals in that game, helping the Canadiens to a 10–6 win. Game accounts from the period emphasize the offensive nature of the contest and Malone’s dominant scoring, though play-by-play detail and complete contemporaneous narrative are limited compared with modern game coverage.
Significance and legacy
Malone’s seven-goal game stands as the NHL record for most goals by an individual in a single game. The mark has endured through rule changes, expansions, and many generations of players. Malone’s career totals and single-game feats are often cited in historical overviews of early professional hockey; he was later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (class of 1950) in recognition of his achievements.
Historical caveats
Sources from the 1919–20 season are fewer and less detailed than modern box scores and broadcasts, so narrative specifics (such as exact timings of each goal) can be sparse or vary among accounts. However, the statistical record crediting Malone with seven goals that day is consistent across recognized NHL historical statistics and major hockey reference works.
Conclusion
Joe Malone’s seven-goal performance on January 31, 1920, is a milestone of early NHL history and remains the single-game goals record. It reflects both Malone’s individual skill and the high-scoring character of professional hockey in that era.