On February 21, 1960, Bobby Hull delivered one of the most memorable offensive performances of his career at Chicago Stadium, scoring four goals in a 7-5 Chicago Black Hawks win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. This milestone marked Hull’s first of four career four-goal games in the NHL. He never surpassed that number in a single match, despite recording an impressive 30 career hat tricks.
The game opened with Hull striking early. At 8:07 of the first period, he buried his 30th goal of the season, assisted by Murray Balfour and Dollard St. Laurent. Early in the second, he scored again, this time with help from Pierre Pilote and Bill Hay, making it 2-0 for Chicago.
Even after Toronto’s Frank Mahovlich cut the lead in half, Hull completed his hat trick just over four minutes into the second frame, assisted by Elmer “Moose” Vasko and Pilote. Before the period ended, Hull added an assist on Balfour’s goal to stretch the lead to 5-2.
Then came the dagger: just 59 seconds into the third period, Hull scored his fourth goal of the night, making it 6-2. This goal would stand as the game-winner, his 33rd of the season. Bill Hay added another before Toronto mounted a furious but ultimately futile comeback with goals from Gerry James, Johnny Wilson, and Tim Horton.
A Golden Season for the “Golden Jet”
By the end of the 1959-60 season, Hull tallied 39 goals and 42 assists for 81 points, narrowly edging Boston’s Bronco Horvath for the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s top scorer. Despite the scoring crown, Hull fell short of MVP honors, finishing second in Hart Trophy voting behind Detroit’s Gordie Howe.
It was a breakout campaign for the 21-year-old Hull, and his first 4-goal game against a future Hall of Famer like Johnny Bower remains a signature performance in his legendary career.
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