The spectacle of hundreds of hats raining from the heavens during a hockey game makes for one of the most unusual sights in sports. The ritual celebrates one player scoring three goals in a single contest, a feat known as a hat trick. Although it is closely tied to hockey, the term hat trick actually has its roots in the sport of cricket.
History
During the 1870s, cricket literature started using the term "hat trick" to describe the act of bowling three wickets on three consecutive pitches. However, the exact origin of the phrase remains open to debate. Some people believe cricketers used the term to describe the particularly challenging achievement much in the same light as a stage magician who pulled rabbits out of his hat, performing a true hat trick. Others contend the bowler's teammates would pass a hat to collect money as reward for dismissing three consecutive batsmen in three pitches, with the proceeds used to purchase a new hat.
Hockey
According to popular legend, hockey's association with the hat trick started when Toronto hat shop owner Sammy Taft promised to give Chicago Blackhawks winger Alex Kaleta a free hat if he scored three times that night against the Maple Leafs. Kaleta did just that and more, scoring four goals in a 6-5 loss to the Leafs on January 26, 1946. Kaleta collected his free hat and a new tradition was born, prompting other hat shops to join in the promotion. By the 1970s, NHL fans had started to throw their own hats on the ice whenever a player notched his third goal of the game.
Types
Any game in which a player scores at least three goals gets recorded as a hat trick, regardless of whether he goes on to score four or more goals. Scoring three consecutive goals, without any other scoring by either team between goals, earns the distinction of being recognized as a natural hat trick. And despite a common misconception, natural hat tricks do not need to be scored in the same period.
Variation
Legendary Detroit Red Wing Gordie Howe combined exceptional skill with raw power and brutality, taking as much pride in pummeling opponents with his fists as he did in scoring goals. Howe's dominance inspired a popular variation on the standard hat trick. To record a Gordie Howe hat trick, a player must score one goal, record one assist and engage in one fight.
Records
Wayne Gretzky, the NHL's all-time leading scorer, holds the record for most career hat tricks with 50. Gretzky also holds the record for most hat tricks in a single season, recording 10 in 1981-82 and again in 1983-84. Chicago's Bill Mosienko scored the fastest hat trick in NHL history, recording three consecutive goals in just 21 seconds on March 23, 1952.
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