Devils New Jersey
Sabres Buffalo
Blue Jackets Columbus
Penguins Pittsburgh
Rangers New York
Islanders New York
Senators Ottawa
Red Wings Detroit
Lightning Tampa Bay
Hurricanes Carolina
Wild Minnesota
Blackhawks Chicago
Jets Winnipeg
Flames Calgary
Oilers Edmonton
Canucks Vancouver
Ducks Anaheim
Sharks San Jose
Bruins Boston
Capitals Washington
Predators Nashville
Avalanche Colorado
Hockey Club Utah
Panthers Florida
Kings Los Angeles
Maple Leafs Toronto
Blues St. Louis
Golden Knights Vegas
Stars Dallas
Flyers Philadelphia
Kyle Gipe
The Hockey Writers
57
Reads
0
Comments
NHL Hat Tricks History & Fun Facts
A hat trick is one of the NHL’s rarest achievements with only 97 during the 2018-19 season, or roughly one in 7.6 percent of games. That’s more rare than a shutout, with 154 in 2018-19, or one in 12.1 percent of games, or a shorthanded goal, of which there were 233 last season, or one in 18.3 percent of games. Of the 7,664 goals scored last season, 296, or 3.9 percent, were scored in a hat trick.
The greatest player of all-time, Wayne Gretzky, had 50 regular season hat tricks in his career, or one in 3.4 percent of his games. Active players Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, and Claude Giroux, all with over 200 career goals, each have one regular season hat trick. Even Auston Matthews, who had 111 goals in his first three seasons, only has one career hat trick at the time of writing this. That hat trick occurred in his NHL debut. The point is that hat tricks are rare because they’re difficult.
But they’re also fun and the potential for one has everyone in the arena watching with intrigue after a player reaches two goals in a game, waiting to toss hats onto the ice, participating in a tradition that dates back to the 1930s or 1950s, depending on who you ask. It’s because of how fun they are that I wrote all about them. There are many ways to look at hat tricks – by team, by player, individual season, career, regular season, and postseason. This post is about all of those and my goal is show that hat tricks are, in fact, fun.
Single Season Hat Trick Leaders
10 – Wayne Gretzky 1981-82
Gretzky scored 10 hat tricks in a season twice and it’s no surprise that one of those occurrences was during the 1981-82 season when he scored a record 92 goals as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. The Great One had back-to-back hat tricks on Dec. 27 vs. the Los Angeles Kings with four goals and on Dec. 30 against the Philadelphia Flyers with five goals.
Those hat tricks were part of a stretch when he had three in five games when including his Dec. 19 hat trick versus the Minnesota North Stars. Gretzky had two or more goals in 22 games that season. He had two hat tricks against the Flyers, one on Jan. 31 in addition to the one listed above, and two against the Kings with one on Nov. 25 as well as the one on Dec. 27.
10- Wayne Gretzky 1983-84
Gretzky’s second season with 10 hat tricks was the same season he scored 87 goals, second-most in history. He had 24 games with at least two goals, more such games than he had in 1981-82. He had back-to-back hat tricks twice. The first began on Jan. 4 with a four-goal game against the North Stars. It was followed up by a standard hat trick against the Hartford Whalers on Jan. 7.
His second of back-to-back hat tricks occurred on consecutive days, Feb. 21 and 22 against the St. Louis Blues and Pittsburgh Penguins, respectively, with four goals in each. Gretzky had two hat tricks versus the Winnipeg Jets, the only team he had multiple hat tricks against that season, on Nov. 6 and Dec. 21.
9 – Mike Bossy 1980-81
Arguably the greatest goalscorer in league history, Mike Bossy averaged .76 goals per game (G/G) for his career, highest in history using Hockey-Reference’s rate stat requirements. During the 1980-81 season, led the league with 68 goals and it was the fourth of nine straight seasons with at least 50 goals. He had nine hat tricks that season including two instances of back-to-back tricks.
His first set of back-to-back hat tricks started on Nov. 8 against the Chicago Black Hawks and ended on Nov. 11 with four goals versus the North Stars. His second time began with a four-goal performance against the Penguins on Jan. 13 and ended on Jan. 17 versus the Washington Capitals. He scored at least two goals in 16 games and had multiple hat tricks against one team, the Black Hawks.
9 – Mario Lemieux 1988-89
Mario Lemieux’s 1988-89 season was the best ever by a player not named Gretzky. Lemieux scored 85 goals, fourth-most in history, and 199 points, which made him the only player besides Gretzky to ever approach 200 points in a season. That season, Lemieux failed to register consecutive hat tricks but did net a goal in seven straight games between Oct. 11 and 25. During that stretch, he accumulated 15 goals and two hat tricks.
He also scored multiple goals in 24 games and finished with two hat tricks versus the New Jersey Devils. He scored five goals along with three assists against them on Dec. 31 and had a standard hat trick on March 31.
8 – Brett Hull 1991-92
Brett Hull scored 70 goals during the 1991-92 season, the third straight season he led the league in goals, and also the third consecutive season with 70 or more goals. He had no back-to-back hat tricks that season but did score two-plus goals in 14 games. He had his most hat tricks against the New York Islanders with two, one on Dec. 10 and a second on Dec. 21, in only three games against them that season.
Most Career Hat Tricks
50 – Wayne Gretzky
Again, nearly every list for “the best” or “the most” of something in NHL history will include Gretzky and most likely, he’ll top the list. His 50 career hat tricks are 10 more than any other player and doesn’t include his 10 postseason hat tricks in the NHL, his four WHA regular season hat tricks, nor his one WHA postseason hat trick.
In addition to his two 10-hat trick seasons, he also had a season with six and two seasons with four hat tricks. He had seven NHL hat tricks against the Jets and one in the WHA against them, his most against one franchise. Using his 40 regular season NHL hat tricks, he scored one in 3.4 percent of his games as well as one in five percent of WHA games.
40 – Mario Lemieux
Lemieux played in 915 regular season games in his career, over 500 less than Gretzky, but still managed to have the second-most hat tricks in history. Lemieux’s 40 regular season hat tricks equal one in 4.4 percent of games. He also had three postseason hat tricks, including five goals against the Flyers on April 25, 1989. On top of his nine hat tricks during the 1988-89 season, he also had two seasons with six, one with five, and two with four hat tricks.
He totaled four regular season hat tricks against the Flyers, his most against one team, and added one against them in the postseason. He also had a four-goal game against the Flyers on March 20, 1993, his third of four hat tricks during the 1992-93 season when he played in 60 games.
39 – Mike Bossy
Bossy scored a hat trick in 5.2 percent of games he played, by far the highest among those on this list. In only 752 regular season games, he finished with 39 hat tricks and added five in 129 postseason games. In addition to his nine hat tricks in 1980-81, he finished with five twice and had three seasons with four hat tricks. He had six hat tricks against the Black Hawks/Blackhawks, including two against them during each of the 1980-81 and 1983-84 seasons.
33 – Brett Hull
Hull finished with 33 regular season hat tricks, or one in 2.6 percent of games. He had at least three hat tricks in four seasons and had three regular season hat tricks against the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs, including back-to-back hat tricks against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 24-25, 1990. Hull had one playoff hat trick, in 2002, as a member of the Detroit Red Wings against the Vancouver Canucks.
32 – Phil Esposito
Longtime Boston Bruin Phil Esposito was the career leader in hat tricks from 1978 until 1985 when Gretzky passed him. Esposito finished with 32 hat tricks, still fifth-most in history, quite a feat considering he hasn’t played in 37 years. He scored a hat trick in 2.5 percent of games and had four postseason hat tricks in 130 games. He had one season with seven hat tricks and three with four hat tricks. He victimized the Canucks throughout his career, scoring five hat tricks against them.
Active Hat Trick Leaders
24 – Alex Ovechkin
If you don’t include Jaromir Jagr, Alex Ovechkin is the active leader in goals by a wide margin. Therefore it makes sense that his 20 hat tricks in the regular season are tops among active players and ties him for 14th all-time. That’s equal to one in two percent of his games. He has three seasons with three hat tricks – 2007-08, 2008-09, 2017-18, and 2018-19.
Ovechkin has his most hat tricks against the Ottawa Senators with three, one each in 2007, 2009, and 2017. That includes a four-goal, one-assist performance in an 8-6 win on Dec. 29, 2007. He also has one postseason hat trick, on May 4, 2009 against the Penguins when both he and Sidney Crosby had hat tricks.
*15 – Jaromir Jagr
Jagr is still technically an active player although it’s unlikely he plays in the NHL again. He has 15 career hat tricks, but hasn’t scored one since the 2014-15 season and with over 1,700 regular season games, he has a hat trick in under one percent of his games. He scored 10 with the Penguins, three with the New York Rangers, two with the Capitals, and one as a Devil.
He’s had three hat tricks in a season twice, in 2000-01 and 2005-06. His three hat tricks against the Bruins are his most against one franchise and all three occurred when he was a Penguin. Jagr has one postseason hat trick, also as a Penguin, on May 11, 1996 against the Rangers when he and Lemieux both had one.
14 – Eric Staal
Somewhat of a surprising player on this list, Eric Staal has nearly 400 regular season goals and led the league with four hat tricks during the 2008-09 season. He has a hat trick in 1.3 percent of games and scored one in 2017-18 as a member of the Wild against the Blues on Feb. 27 when he had three goals and two assists.
In addition to that hat trick against the Blues, he scored another against them in 2006 as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. His two hat tricks versus the Blues are tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for his most against one franchise. Both hat tricks versus the Thrashers were with the Hurricanes, one in 2008 and one in 2010.
13 – Ilya Kovalchuk
If he weren’t returning to the NHL this season, Ilya Kovalchuk wouldn’t be on this list. His 13 regular season hat tricks have occurred in 816 games, with one in 1.6 percent of games. Although he hasn’t had a hat trick since the 2011-12 season, he had three in 2007-08. In total, he had 11 hat tricks with the Thrashers, two with the Devils, and doesn’t have any in the postseason.
The only team he has multiple hat tricks against is the Tampa Bay Lightning with two, both as a Thrasher. The first occurred in 2005 when he had four goals and his second was a standard hat trick in 2007. Had the borderline hall of famer not left the NHL for five seasons to play in the KHL, it’s not unthinkable that he’d at least be second in hat tricks among active players.
12 – Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin may not be among the 100 best players in NHL history, but his one regular season hat trick in 1.5 percent of games are behind only Ovechkin and Kovalchuk on this list. Malkin had three hat tricks during the 2011-12 season, two in 11 days between Jan. 3 and Jan. 14, 2008, and has one hat trick each of the past three seasons.
He has been particularly good against the Islanders and Lightning with two hat tricks against each, unsurprising as his 26 regular season goals against the Islanders are his most against one franchise. He also has two postseason hat tricks, one against the Hurricanes during the 2009 Playoffs which helped him win the Conn Smythe Trophy and one against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2014.
Progressive Leaders
The NHL started off with a bang from a hat trick perspective in 1917-18, the league’s inaugural season, as Hall of Famers Cy Denneny and Joe Malone both tallied seven that season. Denneny finished with 25 hat tricks while Malone retired with 18. Denneny was the league’s sole career leader in hat tricks from the second season, in 1918-19, until the 1955-56 season when Maurice “Rocket” Richard tied him with 25.
Richard took the lead two seasons later, in 1957-58, and remained the all-time leader until the 1970-71 season when Bobby Hull surpassed him with 27 tricks. Hull’s 28 career hat tricks were tops until Phil Esposito took over during the 1977-78 season and he led until Gretzky passed him during the 1984-85 season with 34 and has held the lead since.
By individual seasons, Denneny and Malone’s seven hat tricks in 1917-18 remained the most in a single season until the 1980-81 season when Bossy surpassed them with nine. That record lasted less than a season when Gretzky had 10, a record that remains intact.
Yearly Leaders
2018-19 (3) – Alex Ovechkin, Patrik Laine, David Pastrnak
Ovechkin’s three hat tricks in 2018-19 were all three-goal games. His first was on Dec. 11 against the Red Wings and his second came three days later, on Dec. 14, against the Hurricanes. His final one took place on Jan. 22 against the Sharks.
Patrik Laine’s three hat tricks all occurred in November, with his first taking place on Nov. 1 against the Panthers. His second was on Nov. 19 against the Canucks, and his final hat trick was less than a week later against the Blues when he scored five goals. All three of his hat tricks were road victories for the Jets.
Lastly, David Pastrnak spread out his hat tricks. His first was early in the season, on Oct. 13 against the Red Wings, while his second one was just under a month later, on Nov. 10 against the Maple Leafs. His final three-goal game was near the end of the regular season, on March 27 against the Rangers. All three hat tricks were home victories for the Bruins.
2017-18 (3) – Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Alex DeBrincat
Ovechkin scored all three of his hat tricks in 2017-18 before the calendar flipped to 2018. He opened the season with back-to-back hat tricks on Oct. 5, with three goals against the Senators and Oct. 7, with four goals against the Montreal Canadiens. His third hat trick occurred on Nov. 25 against the Maple Leafs.
Connor McDavid’s first hat trick was against the Calgary Flames in the Oilers first game on Oct. 4 when he scored all three of his team’s goals. His second was on Feb. 5 against the Lightning when he netted four goals and added an assist and his final hat trick was on Feb. 18 against the Avalanche. Alex DeBrincat’s three hat tricks were the first three of his career, against the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 27, the Red Wings on Jan. 25, and the Blues on March 18.
2016-17 (3) – Patrik Laine
Laine’s three hat tricks during the 2016-17 season led the league and were the first three of his career, making him the youngest in league history with three. The first was against the Maple Leafs on Oct. 19 and was followed up by ones against the Stars on Nov. 8 and Feb. 14.
2015-16 (3) – Zach Parise
Three of Zach Parise’s five career hat tricks took place during the 2015-16 season as a member of the Wild. Like Ovechkin and McDavid listed above, Parise’s first hat trick that season was in the Wild’s first game and on the road against the Avalanche. He also had one on the road against the Blue Jackets on Jan. 5 and one at home against the Flames on March 24.
2014-15 (3) – Corey Perry
Corey Perry’s first hat trick of the 2014-15 campaign occurred in the Ducks’ 6-4 loss to the Penguins to open the season on Oct. 9. On Oct. 22, he had a three-goal game against the Buffalo Sabres and finished with one against the Maple Leafs on Jan. 14.
2013-14 (3) – Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Max Pacioretty
Tyler Seguin has eight career hat tricks, including seven as a Star. His three hat tricks during the 2013-14 season are his most in a season and included a four-goal game on the road against the Flames and home hat tricks against the Flyers and Canucks. All four of Joe Pavelski’s career hat tricks occurred in road games and during the 2013-14 season, they were against the Lightning, Flyers, and Oilers. The third player who tied for the league lead was Max Pacioretty, with hat tricks against the Wild, Canucks, and Senators.
Times Leading the League
8 – Maurice “Rocket” Richard
Richard led the league in hat tricks a record eight times between 1944 and 1955, including three consecutive seasons between 1946-47 and 1948-49 and never had more than four in a season.
6 – Bobby Hull
Bobby Hull tied or led the NHL outright six times, including four straight seasons between 1963-64 and 1966-67. He finished his NHL career with 28 regular season hat tricks and added another 13 in the WHA.
5 – Charlie Conacher
Charlie Conacher led the league in hat tricks five times during the 1930s as a member of the Maple Leafs. He finished his career with 15 regular season hat tricks.
5 – Cy Denneny
Denneny, the league’s original hat trick king, led the league in the category five times in the league’s first seven seasons.
5 – Gordie Howe
Although Gordie Howe’s career spanned five decades, all five times he led the league in hat tricks occurred between 1949-50 and 1956-57. He finished with 19 regular season hat tricks in the NHL and never had more than three in a season.
*Notable that Gretzky only led the led in hat tricks three times.
Times in the Top-10 for Hat Tricks in the Last 10 Seasons
6 – Alex Ovechkin
Top-10 in 2008-09, 2012-13, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19.
3 – Corey Perry
Top-10 in 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2014-15.
3 – Steven Stamkos
Top-10 in 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2013-14.
3 – Eric Staal
Top-10 in 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11.
Hat Tricks by Season – Past 10 Seasons
2018-19 – 98
2017-18 – 81
2016-17 – 59
2015-16 – 67
2014-15 – 49
2013-14 – 56
2012-13 – 32 (Lockout-Shortened Season)
2011-12 – 55
2010-11 – 76
2009-10 – 67
2008-09 – 65
Hat Tricks by Team
Anaheim Ducks
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 58
Career Leader: Teemu Selanne – 13
Season Leader: Teemu Selanne (1997-98), Corey Perry (2010-11), Corey Perry (2014-15) – 3
Arizona Coyotes
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 113
Career Leader: Dale Hawerchuk – 12
Season Leader: Teemu Selanne (1992-93) – 5
Boston Bruins
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 330
Career Leader: Phil Esposito – 26
Season Leader: Phil Esposito (1970-71) – 7
Buffalo Sabres
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 194
Career Leader: Rick Martin – 21
Season Leader: Rick Martin (1975-76), Alex Mogilny (1992-93) – 7
Calgary Flames
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 201
Career Leader: Kent Nilsson – 14
Season Leader: Kent Nilsson (1982-83), Lanny McDonald (1982-83), Hakan Loob (1987-88), Theo Fleury (1990-91) – 5
Carolina Hurricanes
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 124
Career Leader: Eric Staal – 13
Season Leader: Eric Staal (2008-09) – 4
Chicago Blackhawks
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 285
Career Leader: Bobby Hull – 28
Season Leader: Bobby Hull (1959-60, 1965-66) – 4
Colorado Avalanche
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 160
Career Leader: Peter Stastny – 16
Season Leader: Miroslav Frycer (1981-82), Peter Stastny (1982-83) – 4
Columbus Blue Jackets
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 38
Career Leader: Cam Atkinson – 6
Season Leader: Tyler Wright (2002-03), Rick Nash (2008-09), Jeff Carter (2011-12), Cam Atkinson (2018-19) – 2
Dallas Stars
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 157
Career Leader: Dino Ciccarelli – 14
Season Leader: 8 Players – 3
Detroit Red Wings
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 285
Career Leader: Gordie Howe – 19
Season Leader: Frank Mahovlich (1968-69) – 4
Edmonton Oilers
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 213
Career Leader: Wayne Gretzky – 43
Season Leader: Wayne Gretzky (1981-82, 1983-84) – 10
Florida Panthers
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 45
Career Leader: Pavel Bure – 10
Season Leader: Pavel Bure (1999-00, 2000-01) – 4
Los Angeles Kings
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 192
Career Leader: Marcel Dionne – 191
Season Leader: Jimmy Carson (1987-88) – 5
Minnesota Wild
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 27
Career Leader: Marian Gaborik – 9
Season Leader: Marian Gaborik (2002-03), Zach Parise (2015-16) – 3
Montreal Canadiens
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 412
Career Leader: Maurice “Rocket” Richard – 26
Season Leader: Joe Malone (1917-18) – 7
Nashville Predators
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 40
Career Leader: Filip Forsberg – 6
Season Leader: Filip Forsberg (2015-16, 2016-17) – 2
New Jersey Devils
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 93
Career Leader: Patrik Elias – 8
Season Leader: Kirk Muller (1987-88), John MacLean (1988-89), Patrik Elias (2000-01) – 3
New York Islanders
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 197
Career Leader: Mike Bossy – 39
Season Leader: Mike Bossy (1980-81) – 9
New York Rangers
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 278
Career Leader: Bill Cook – 9
Season Leader: Tomas Sandstrom (1986-87) – 4
Ottawa Senators
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 62
Career Leader: Daniel Alfredsson – 8
Season Leader: Marian Hossa (2002-03), Dany Heatley (2006-07) – 3
Philadelphia Flyers
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 204
Career Leader: Tim Kerr – 17
Season Leader: Tim Kerr (1984-85) – 5
Pittsburgh Penguins
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 236
Career Leader: Mario Lemieux – 40
Season Leader: Mario Lemieux (1988-89) – 9
San Jose Sharks
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 71
Career Leader: Jonathan Cheechoo – 9
Season Leader: Jonathan Cheechoo (2005-06) – 5
St. Louis Blues
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 174
Career Leader: Brett Hull – 27
Season Leader: Brett Hull (1991-92) – 8
Tampa Bay Lightning
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 59
Career Leader: Steven Stamkos – 9
Season Leader: Wendel Clark (1998-99) – 3
Toronto Maple Leafs
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 331
Career Leader: Darryl Sittler – 18
Season Leader: Reg Noble (1917-18), Babe Dye (1924-25), Darryl Sittler (1980-81) – 5
Vancouver Canucks
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 143
Career Leader: Tony Tanti, Markus Naslund – 10
Season Leader: Petri Skriko (1986-87) – 4
Vegas Golden Knights
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 5
Career Leader: William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault – 2
Season Leader: William Karlsson (2017-18) – 2
Washington Capitals
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 146
Career Leader: Alex Ovechkin – 24
Season Leader: Dennis Maruk (1980-81, 1981-82), Peter Bondra (1995-96), Alexander Semin (2010-11) – 4
Winnipeg Jets
Number of Hat Tricks in Franchise History: 52
Career Leader: Ilya Kovalchuk – 11
Season Leader: Ilya Kovalchuk (2007-08), Patrik Laine (2016-17, 2018-19) – 3
Postseason Hat Tricks
Most in a Career
10 – Wayne Gretzky
The career leader in postseason goals and points with 122 and 382, respectively, it’s only fitting that Gretzky has the most playoff hat tricks as well. He was unbelievable in the postseason, averaging .59 G/G, just behind his .60 average for the regular season, had six postseasons with at least 10 goals, five with 30 or more points, and four with multiple hat tricks.
He had seven playoff hat tricks with the Oilers, two with the Rangers, one as a member of the Kings, and also had a postseason hat trick in the WHA. His most famous one occurred with the Kings in Game Seven of the conference finals against the Maple Leafs when he had a point in four of his team’s five goals with three goals and an assist.
7 – Jari Kurri
Gretzky’s long-time teammate Jari Kurri occupies the second spot on this list, again fitting, as he’s third all-time in postseason goals and points with 106 and 233, respectively. He had five postseasons with 10-plus goals and led the league four times in the category. All seven of Kurri’s playoff hat tricks occurred with the Oilers, including four in 1985. He had back-to-back three-goal games on May 14 and 16 that year in the conference finals against the Black Hawks.
7 – Maurice “Rocket” Richard
Richard won eight Stanley Cups in his career, all with the Canadiens. He had seven postseason hat tricks in his career but only multiple in one year, 1944. He registered at least one hat trick in five of the postseasons that resulted in Stanley Cups: 1944, 1953, 1956, 1957, and 1958. He was the playoff leader in goals five times and scored four or more goals in a game three times in the playoffs. That included a five-goal effort on March 23, 1944 in Game Two of the opening series against the Maple Leafs.
6 – Dino Ciccarelli
If you didn’t grow up watching Dino Ciccarelli play, it’s easy to overlook just how good he was. He scored 608 regular season goals, 18th all-time, and added 73 in the playoffs, 13th all-time. In fact, his goalscoring rate increased in the postseason, from .49 G/G in the regular season to .52 G/G in the playoffs. He had six hat tricks in the postseason but never multiple in a year. He had two hat tricks each with the Minnesota North Stars, Capitals, and Red Wings.
5 – Mike Bossy
Bossy’s prolific goalscoring carried over to the postseason with 85 goals, sixth-most in history, in 129 games, tied for 163rd all-time. That .66 G/G average in the postseason is second only to Lemieux. Bossy led the postseason in goals three straight years between 1981 and 1983 with 17 goals each and had four postseasons with 10-plus goals. He had five playoff hat tricks, including three in 1983 when the Islanders won the final Stanley Cup of their dynastic run. He had four goals in the series-clinching Game Seven of the conference finals against the Bruins.
Most in a Single Postseason
4 – Jari Kurri (1985)
Kurri paced the 1985 Playoffs with 19 goals alongside 12 assists in 18 games en route to helping the Oilers defeat the Flyers in five games in the Stanley Cup Final. He had four hat tricks that postseason, one in the conference semifinals and three in the conference finals.
His semifinal hat trick was against the Jets on April 25 when he tallied three goals and one assist. His three conference finals hat tricks were against the Black Hawks between May 7 and 16. He had a standard three-goal hat trick on May 7 and registered back-to-back ones with three goals and two assists on May 14 and four goals on May 16.
3 – Mike Bossy (1983)
Like Kurri, Bossy’s hat tricks during the 1983 Playoffs resulted in his team winning the Stanley Cup. For Bossy and the Islanders, it was their fourth in a row. He had 17 goals and 26 points in 19 games and, again like Kurri, one of Bossy’s hat tricks was in the conference semifinals against the Capitals on April 10 and the others occurred in the conference finals against the Bruins. One was on May 3 and the other on May 7 with four goals. That year, he also scored the Cup-winning goal in Game Four of the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers.
3 – Mark Messier (1983)
Mark Messier’s Oilers were ousted in the Cup Final against Bossy’s Islanders but it wasn’t due to Messier, who had 15 goals and 21 points in 15 games that postseason. He had four career postseason hat tricks with three in 1983, two in the conference semifinals and one in the conference finals. His semifinals hat tricks were against the Flames on April 14 and 17 with a combined seven goals. His conference finals hat trick occurred against the Black Hawks on April 26.
Most in a Career – Active
3 – Sidney Crosby
There were almost 10 years between Sidney Crosby’s first postseason hat trick in 2009 and his most recent in 2018. His first was in the conference semifinals against the Capitals on May 4, a game in which both he and Ovechkin netted three goals and Crosby’s Penguins lost 4-3. His most recent hat trick was in a 7-0 rout of the Flyers in the opening round of the 2018 Playoffs on April 11. Sandwiched in between those was a May 17, 2013 hat trick against the Senators in the conference semifinals. Crosby also has 10 regular season hat tricks.
3 – Patrick Marleau
Veteran Patrick Marleau hasn’t had a postseason hat trick in over a decade with his last occurring on April 27, 2006 against the Nashville Predators in the first round. His first postseason hat trick was during the 2004 Playoffs on April 10 in an opening round matchup against the Blues as he scored all three of San Jose’s goals. Finally, his second hat trick occurred less than two weeks after his first, on April 22 against Colorado in the conference semifinals. Marleau has five regular season hat tricks in his career.
2 – Sean Couturier, Jake Guentzel, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, David Krejci, Jeff Carter
Sean Couturier – April 13, 2012 vs. Pittsburgh; April 22, 2018 vs. Pittsburgh
Jake Guentzel – April 16, 2017 vs. Columbus; April 22, 2018 vs. Philadelphia
Jean-Gabriel Pageau – May 5, 2013 vs. Montreal; April 29, 2017 vs. NY Rangers
Evgeni Malkin – May 21, 2009 vs. Carolina; April 28, 2014 vs. Columbus
Patrick Kane – May 11, 2009 vs. Vancouver; June 8, 2013 vs. Los Angeles
David Krejci – May 25, 2011 vs. Tampa Bay; May 8, 2013 vs. Toronto
Jeff Carter – May 14, 2012 vs. Phoenix; May 21, 2014 vs. Chicago
The post NHL Hat Tricks History & Fun Facts appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Popular Articles