Have you ever watched a hockey game and seen fans throw their hats onto the ice after a goal? This is part of a celebration called a hat trick. But what is a hat trick in hockey?
A hat trick in hockey is when a player scores three goals during a single game. All three goals must come during regulation or overtime. If a player scores a goal during a shootout it doesn’t count. When a player scores the third goal, it’s tradition for fans to throw their hats onto the ice.
The tradition of throwing hats onto the ice is believed to have started in 1946 when a player with the Chicago Blackhawks named Alex Kaleta made a bet with a Toronto store owner that if he scored three goals in a game, he would get a free hat. Kaleta scored three goals and won the bet. The Toronto store owner then started giving hats to any Maple Leaf player who scored three goals in a game. From then on, it’s been known as a hat trick.
Hockey fans morphed the free hat giveaway into today’s tradition of throwing hats on the ice after a players third goal.
The fastest hat trick in hockey history
The fastest hat trick in hockey history was accomplished in 1946 by Bill Mosienko of the Chicago Blackhawks. Mosienko scored three goals in just 21 seconds. WOW!!! This record may never be broken. The second fastest hat trick was by Jean Beliveau who scored 3 goals in 44 seconds. Pretty good Jean, add that feat to his 10 Stanley Cups as a player and you’ve got a hockey legend.
Wayne Gretzky has the most career hat tricks with 50, and the most hat tricks in a single season with 10. A Gordie Howe hat trick is when a player scores a goal, gets an assist, and gets into a fight during a single game. A Texas hat trick is when a player scores four goals in one game.
After a hat trick is scored, the home team will collect hundreds of hats. The player who got the hat trick will keep one as a keepsake, and the team will give fans a chance to get their hats back. Any hats that go unclaimed will be given to a local charity.
Thanks for your time. Leave comments and suggestions below.
