Justin Fontaine did not waste time getting his first NHL goal.

The Bonnyville, Alberta, native scored the fastest goal to start a game in Minnesota Wild history, 12 seconds into the Wild's 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 12, 2013.

Fontaine's then-record goal (the mark has since been broken) in his fifth NHL game was all the more remarkable because of how long the right wing had to wait for just about everything else in his hockey career.

By the time he made his NHL debut at 25, Fontaine had spent three years in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, four years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and two years with Houston of the American Hockey League.

Overlooked by every team in the Western Hockey League, Fontaine began his road to the pros close to home with Bonnyville of the AJHL in the 2004-05 season. He appeared in 12 games that season, leaving him eligible to win league rookie of the year honors in 2005-06, which he did when he scored 26 goals and 81 points. With 30 goals and 71 points, Fontaine earned Bonnyville MVP honors for 2006-07 and a scholarship to UMD.

Fontaine struggled to score during his freshman year, with four goals and 12 points in 35 games. But he increased his goal total each year, ending his Duluth career in 2010-11 with a 22-goal, 58-point season and helping the Bulldogs to their first NCAA championship.

Signed by the Wild after college, Fontaine joined Houston for the 2011-12 season and was second on the team with 55 points in 73 games. The next year he led Houston with 56 points in 64 games.

After finally being called up to the Wild, Fontaine quickly showed he could score, even as a bottom-six forward. In addition to the fastest goal in team history, he scored three goals in a 4-1 win against Phoenix.

Despite being limited to 66 games that season, Fontaine finished fourth on the Wild with 13 goals.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• WCHA Second All-Star Team (2009, 2010, 2011)
• Signed as a free agent by Minnesota, April 19, 2011.
• Signed as a free agent by NY Rangers, October 16, 2016.
• Traded to Edmonton by NY Rangers for Taylor Beck, March 1, 2017.