About a week ago, while surfing the Internet for some good NHL trade rumors, i came across a game story which pointed out someone had recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick. As you know that means a player scored a goal, recorded an assist and got into a fight, all in the same game. It got me wondering about the history behind that term so I did a little research.
Actually, Jeff Marek from cbc.ca did a whole lot of research about this 2 years ago and here’s what he found out. No one knows who coined the phrase and exactly when it was first used. Howe was not the first player to do the goal, assist, fight thing in the same game…not by a long shot. That distinction belongs to Harry Cameron of the Toronto Arenas way back in 1917. Because he was one of the game’s greatest scorers and a legendary tough guy, I figured Howe had done it so many times that someone named it after him. Not so. Only twice in his 32 year professional hockey career did mister hockey have what is now called the Gordie Howe hat trick. Heck - Sydney Crosby, not a legendary tough guy, even he has one in his career so he’s only 1 away from tying Howe.
Marek could find no evidence of any fights during Howe’s World Hockey Association career so in more than 18 hundred NHL games, Howe had only 22 fights…I’ve got to be honest, I was disappointed to read that. So who are the best players when it comes to the Gordie Howe hat trick since the guy it’s named after only did it twice. Not sure…you see no one kept the stat until the hockey news started doing it in 1996. Current Lightning coach Rick Tocchet was the leader for quite some time but he was passed by Jarome Iginla and Brendan Shanahan. According to the Hockey News, the now retired Shanahan is the leader with 17. Nine players have recorded the Howe hat trick this season including one player in tonight’s game…Rick Nash of the blue jackets.
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