A hat-trick occurs in association football when a player scores three goals in a single game. In common with other official record-keeping rules, goals in a penalty shootout are excluded from the tally.[10] In Germany the extra time in a league tournament match may also be calculated towards a player's potential hat-trick. Players achieving hat-tricks are usually rewarded by being given the match ball to keep. The fastest time to score a hat-trick is 70 seconds, a record set by Alex Torr in a Sunday league game in 2013.[11] The previous record was held by Tommy Ross playing for Ross County against Nairn County on 28 November 1964.[12] Only one hat-trick has been scored in the FIFA World Cup Final, by Geoff Hurst for England in the 1966 final, after extra time.[13] Association Football has also extended the term to include the phrase perfect hat-trick, achieved when a player scores one right footed goal, one left footed goal and one headed goal within one match.[14] In the Netherlands a player is awarded a hat-trick when all three goals are scored in the same half with no goal of the opponent in between.
Hockey
Hats on the Verizon Center ice after Alexander Ovechkin's hat trick, 7 February 2010.
In both field hockey and ice hockey, a hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a single match. A hat trick, as it is known in its current form, culminates with fans throwing hats onto the ice from the stands. The tradition is said to have begun among fans in the National Hockey League around the 1950s.[15]
There are several conflicting legends of how the "hat trick" was popularised in professional hockey. In the 1940s, a Toronto haberdasher used to give free hats to players with the Toronto Maple Leafs when they scored three goals in a game, which introduced the "Hat Trick" expression into the world of hockey. The list of winners includes legendary players such as Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull from the Chicago Blackhawks, Syl Apps and Charlie Conacher from the home-town Toronto Maple Leafs, Norm Ullman from the Detroit Red Wings, and many others.
In another account, the origins of a hat being awarded for scoring three goals occurred in Toronto when a local businessman, Sammy Taft, was approached by the Chicago Blackhawks forward Alex Kaleta. According to legend, Kaleta entered Taft's shop to purchase a new hat but did not have enough money. Taft arranged a deal with Kaleta stipulating that if he scored three goals as he played the Toronto Maple Leafs that night, he would give him a free hat. That night, on 26 January 1946, Kaleta scored four goals against the Maple Leafs and Taft made good on his offer
While the Kaleta account is accepted by the Hockey Hall of Fame as the hat trick's origin in the NHL,[citation needed] there exists yet another competing story in Guelph, Ontario. In the 1950s, the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey Association, who were then a farm team of the NHL's New York Rangers, were sponsored by Guelph-based Biltmore Hats, a leading manufacturer of hats with North American dominance. The sponsor would award any Madhatters player who scored three goals in a game with a new fedora.[citation needed]
Montreal hatter Henri Henri claims that between 1950 and 1970, they would reward any NHL player who scored three or more goals in a game at the Montreal Forum with a free hat, thus originating the term "Hat Trick".[16]
Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for the most hat tricks in a career with 52.
Variations
A natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three consecutive goals, uninterrupted by any other player scoring for either team.[17]
The NHL record for fastest natural hat trick is 21 seconds, set by Bill Mosienko in 1952 for the Chicago Blackhawks.[18]
A player accomplishes a Gordie Howe hat trick by scoring a goal, getting an assist, and getting in a fight, all in the same game (Howe himself only recorded two in his career). While this description has remained popular, it does not satisfy the conditions of a traditional hat trick.[19]
A player accomplishes a DC hat trick by scoring the third goal as part of an overtime shootout. Typically only goals scored in regular play count towards earning a hat trick. Its called the DC hat trick because it began with the Washington Capitals. [20]
In December 1995, Florida Panthers captain Scott Mellanby scored a rat trick, the term coined by teammate John Vanbiesbrouck. Prior to the game, Mellanby killed an unwanted rat in the Panthers' locker room with his hockey stick, and proceeded to score a pair of goals later that night.[21] When Mellanby scored a hat trick in a later game, some Florida fans threw plastic rats on the ice, a tradition that continued for all Panthers' goals throughout the 1996 playoffs. Due to the resulting game delays caused by the necessary clean-up of the plastic rats, the league eventually banned the activity and modified Rule 63 to impose a minor penalty against the home team for a violation.[22] The more traditional practice of fans throwing hats on the ice following genuine hat tricks remains exempt from this penalty.
Rugby
In both codes of rugby football (rugby union and rugby league) a hat-trick is scored if a player scores three or more tries in a game. In rugby union, a related concept is that of a "full house" (scoring a try, conversion, penalty goal, and drop goal) in a single game. When a player scored two tries, this is often referred to as a "brace".
As with association football, it is common for the player to be awarded the match ball after scoring a hat-trick.
Lacrosse
A hat-trick in lacrosse is when a player scores three goals in one game. However, since lacrosse is more of a high-scoring game than hockey or football, the accomplishment is not as rare as in hockey or football, and good players may pick up hat-tricks easily.
Darts
A hat-trick in darts is a score of three consecutive bullseyes, also known as the "Alan Evans Shot", after Alan Evans scored three bulleyes during a match on numerous occasions.[23]
Poker
Eliminating three players from a table with one hand in live poker play is sometimes referred to as a hat-trick and is incredibly rare. It is a much more frequent occurrence in online poker games, given the faster and greater number of hands played in online tournaments and the continuing presence of multiple "all-in" players during the early stages of tournament play as players look to build large chip stacks quickly and early.
Motor racing
In motor racing, three successive race wins, winning the same event three times in a row, or securing pole position, fastest lap and race victory in one event may all be referred to as a hat-trick.
Marbles
In marbles, a hat-trick occurs when a player hits all marbles in a single turn.
Scrabble
In Scrabble, a hat-trick occurs when a player plays three consecutive bingos.
Baseball
In baseball, a hat-trick occurs when a player hits three home runs in a single game. It is also used when a player accumulates three strikeouts in a single game. In this manner, it is used jokingly, since in other sports the hat trick is a positive feat rather than a negative one.