Gordie Howe hat trick
In ice hockey, a Gordie Howe Hat Trick is a variation on the hat-trick, wherein a player scores a goal, records an assist, and gets in a fight all in one game. It is named after Gordie Howe, well known for his skill at both scoring and fighting.
The Gordie Howe hat trick is not an official statistic. Its conception is relatively recent; The Hockey News has statistics on it only since the 1996–97 NHL season. The Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, Chicago Blackhawks, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, and the Washington Capitals are the list of NHL franchises that have recorded their Gordie Howe hat tricks. The Pittsburgh Penguins became the latest franchise to record such a feat when Brenden Morrow recorded one against the Montreal Canadiens on April 17, 2013.
The first known Gordie Howe hat trick was achieved by Hall of Famer Harry Cameron of the Toronto St. Pats on December 22, 1920.[1] The namesake of the achievement, Gordie Howe, achieved a Gordie Howe hat trick twice in his NHL career. Howe got his first Gordie Howe Hat Trick on October 11, 1953 when he fought the Toronto Maple Leafs' Fernie Flaman, assisted on Red Kelly's goal, and scored his own. His second happened on March 21, 1954, once again versus the Maple Leafs. Howe scored the opening goal, assisted on two Ted Lindsay goals, and fought Ted "Teeder" Kennedy.[2]
According to the Society for International Hockey Research, the all-time leader in Gordie Howe Hat Tricks is Brendan Shanahan with 17, Rick Tocchet has 15 and Brian Sutter with 12. The active leader is Jarome Iginla of the Pittsburgh Penguins with 9.[3]
A double Gordie Howe hat trick occurred on January 10, 2012. Adam Henrique fought Jarome Iginla. Iginla recorded 1G, 2A while Henrique recorded 1G, 1A. It happened previously on March 9, 2010. Fedor Tyutin fought Ryan Getzlaf and Tyutin recorded 1G, 2A while Getzlaf recorded 1G, 1A.
A double Gordie Howe hat trick achieved by two players on the same team occurred on April 5, 2012 in a game between the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. Joe Thornton and Ryane Clowe of the Sharks both recorded 1G 1A and 1 fight each.
A triple Gordie Howe hat trick occurred on November 14, 1992 in a game between Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. Tom Fitzgerald recorded 1G 1A, Wayne Presley recorded 1G 2A, Benoit Hogue recorded 2G 1A and all 3 players recorded fights.
References [edit]
- ^ Duplacey, James; Zweig, Eric (2010). Official Guide to the Players of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Firefly Books. p. 81. ISBN 1-55407-662-5.
- ^ Going inside the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick”
- ^ "Howe to Hat Trick". The Hockey News 65 (20): 14. 2012-03-16. ISSN 0018-3016.
