This tradition began in Guelph, Ontario, with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, who were sponsored by Biltmore Hats. To recognize this achievement, Biltmore Hats would provide a new hat to every player who scored three goals in a single game. The first player to do so was awarded a gold hat emblazoned with "Mad Hatters" and the rest of the team received silver hats.
The first known example of this event taking place was on December 30, 1935, when Al Schmitt of the Chicago Black Hawks scored three times in a 9-3 win over the Guelph Royals. The hat trick is believed to have started a wave of other players across Canada and the United States scoring three goals in one game. By the end of 1936, eight players had accomplished this feat. In 1937, it was done again but this time by nine different players. In 1938, no one scored three goals in a game but there were sixteen instances where two players scored twice and another player scored once. There were also two cases where three players scored twice.
In 1939, there were only five games where someone scored three times but Frank Fredrickson of the New York Rangers led the way with six goals. In 1940, there were only two instances of four players scoring at least once but Harry Watson of the Montreal Canadiens led the way with seven goals.
During that time, he scored 15 goals and had two hat tricks. In addition, he scored multiple goals in 24 games, including two hat tricks against the New Jersey Devils. On December 31, he had five goals and three assists against them, and on March 31, he got a normal hat trick.
This tradition began in Guelph, Ontario, with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, who were sponsored by Biltmore Hats. To recognize this achievement, Biltmore Hats would provide a new hat to every player who scored three goals in a single game.
On March 23, 1952, he scored three goals in 21 seconds against the New York Rangers. Wayne Gretzky owns the NHL record for the most hat tricks (all natural) in a career by a factor of 50. As a result, it is frequently referred to as a Wayne Gretzky hat trick. A natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a row in the same game.
A player achieves a hat-trick when they score three goals in one game, yet the phrase "hat-trick" did not originate on the football field. The expression originated in cricket, and it was used when a bowler took three wickets in three successive deliveries. To commemorate this feat, the club would present the bowler with a hat. Thus, the term "hat-trick" came to mean an achievement that nobody believed could be done until it was done.
Today, people use the word "hat-trick" to describe any successful act by a performer who has been given several opportunities to fail. For example, a singer might have a "hat-trick" if they sing badly once but then follow up their performance with another song that is better than the first. A comedian might have a "hat-trick" if they tell one funny story and then follow it up with two more jokes. And a athlete can score three goals in one game, yet still have had a "hat-trick" if they were shut out by a single goal score.
The expression "to take a hat-trick" originally meant to take three wickets in three balls, but it was soon realized that this was a very difficult task and so the word "trick" was added to the end of the sentence to make it easier to understand. Today, it means to complete an action successfully the first time you try; nobody else can do it.
Though the term "hat trick" was used in some newspapers during the 1930s and early 1940s to describe a player scoring three goals in a game, the Hockey Hall of Fame claims the term originated when a Toronto businessman named Sammy Taft promoted his company by offering a hat to any player who scored three goals in a game. The first two players to do so were awarded free hats by Mr. Taft.
The Hockey News defines a "hat trick" as "the achievement of scoring three times in a single game", while the National Hockey League says it is "when you score three goals in a game". Although there is no precise definition of what constitutes a "great" or "superb" hat trick, most sources agree that at least four goals must be scored in order for it to be considered successful.
The first known reference to the term "hat trick" appears in a newspaper article written by George Armstrong in 1894. That same year, James Norris introduced the concept of a "grand slam" season, which includes winning all four major professional hockey leagues at the same time. Although he failed to accomplish this feat, Frank Boucher did manage to score 16 goals during the 1924-25 NHL season. This makes him the only player to have scored 10 or more goals without receiving any points for his team. As such, he is considered one of the greatest hat tricks in NHL history.
This anecdote is recognized as the most likely origin of the hat trick by the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Montréal (Québec) The hat trick tradition was also started by the Henri Henri hat store in downtown Montreal. They would give any player who scored a goal in their helmet a free hat. A goal in a game requires that the goalkeeper be pulled from between the posts while the opposing team's goalie is out of the net; therefore, a player who scores a goal while his opponent's goalkeeper is still in the net is credited with a hat trick.
The first known occurrence of a player scoring three goals in a single game took place on December 9, 1872, when Ottawa's John Campbell became the first player to be awarded a hat trick in an NHL game. He did so against the McGill Redmen at Arena Gardens in Montreal. The game was part of the first series between the Ottawa Silver Seven and the McGill University varsity team. The Silver Seven were undefeated during the season up until that point and held a 7-0-1 record overall. This all changed when the seven-game series began, as the Silver Seven lost all but one game - including the hat trick - during this period.
Campbell's teammate Frank O'Brien was the first player to score two goals in a game that same year.
A hat trick is defined as three goals scored in a row or in the same game. When a player scores three goals in a single game, it is most typically used in hockey. In cricket, this word originally referred to a bowler retiring three batters with three successive deliveries. This accomplishment was awarded with a hat, hence the name. However, in baseball and football, it refers to a player scoring three times in a single play.
You can score a hat-trick in association football, rugby union, and rugby league. A player who does so is said to have scored all three of his tries in a single match. In American football, this has been done only twice in history, both by Roger Staubach of the Dallas Cowboys. The first time was in October 1977 during a regular season game against the New York Giants. Staubach completed all nine of his passes for 103 yards while running for two additional touchdowns. His third touchdown broke a record set by Tom Landry with $100,000 in cash prizes that had been on offer if anyone could score three touchdowns in a game. The second time was in January 1993 during a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 193 yards while running for another touchdown.
In ice hockey, a hat trick is scored by a player who achieves this goal while playing against the shot clock.