Left-winger John Marks was a consistent two-way worker who could find the back of the net fairly regularly. He spent his entire 657-game NHL tenure with the Chicago Black Hawks where he was lauded for his consistency.
The native of Hamiota, Manitoba was chosen ninth overall by Chicago at the 1968 Amateur Draft after a solid freshman season at the University of North Dakota. He spent three years with the Fighting Sioux before spending a pair of seasons as a grinding forward on the CHL's Dallas Black Hawks.
The Hawks introduced the youngster to the NHL as a defenceman in 1972-73. He played within his means and helped the team reach the Stanley Cup finals. Over the next few years, he moved back to forward and was one of the Hawks' best forecheckers while contributing more on offense and seeing time on the second power play unit. In 1975-76, he hit the 20-goal mark for the first time while teaming with Stan Mikita and Cliff Korroll.
As the Hawks rebuilt in the late '70s, Marks continued to work hard in the corners and work diligently up and down his wing. By 1980-81, his ice time was decreasing but he was valued for his leadership. The next year he spent most of his time with the CHL's Indianapolis Checkers before retiring. In 1982-83, he tried coaching for a year with Kalamazoo K-Wings of the IHL.
