On February 16, 1972, at Chicago Stadium, the Philadelphia Flyers looked to be in control. Second-period goals by Simon Nolet, Bill Flett, and Bobby Clarke had given them a solid 3-0 lead over the hometown Chicago Blackhawks heading into the third. Then came Jim Pappin.
At 2:57 of the third period, Pappin got Chicago on the board with his 18th goal of the 1971-72 season, assisted by Bryan Campbell. Just six seconds later, before the Flyers could even regroup, Pappin struck again. This time, former Flyer Andre Lacroix fed him the puck, and just like that, it was a one-goal game.
Stunned and suddenly vulnerable, Philadelphia gave up the tying goal at 5:08. Stan Mikita, assisted by Bill White, completed the comeback. The Flyers would manage to hold off further damage and escape with a 3-3 tie, but the momentum had clearly shifted.
Pappin’s two-goal outburst wasn’t an NHL record, but it tied him with Howie Meeker for the third-fastest pair of goals in league history at the time. The fastest? Four seconds, first set by Nels Stewart in 1931 and later matched by Deron Quint in 1995. Only PeteMahovlich and Nathan Gerbe have scored a pair five seconds apart, while others joining the six-second club include Ralph Backstrom, Lanny McDonald, and Sylvain Turgeon.
About Jim Pappin
Jim Pappin played 767 regular season an 92 playoff games in the National Hockey League between 1963-64 and 1976-77 with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, California Seals and Cleveland Barons. He was a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Maple Leafs and also won three Calder Cup titles in the AHL with the Rochester Americans.