Watching your favorite game is an exhilarating and memorable experience, but, if you are a hockey fan, witnessing a hat trick is a truly one-of-a-kind and legendary moment.

These accomplishments get the whole audience out of their seats to cheer.

However, some new hockey fans still are unaware of what hat tricks are and why they're so impressive. 

This article will give you an overview and history of hat tricks, as well as their rarity and the most popular types.

What Are Hat Tricks?

A hat trick happens when a single player scores three goals in one game.

Fans celebrate such an accomplishment by tossing their hats onto the ice. However, fans throw their hats because of the name - this isn't the reason that it's called a hat trick. We'll get into the history below.

The History Of Hat Tricks

Did you know the first hat trick actually took place in a cricket match? 

H.H. Stephenson was playing for an all-England team when he achieved three consecutive wickets. Aside from this narrative, there are other claims as to the origin of hat tricks in hockey.

The most popular story stems from Alex Kaleta, a Chicago player, who visited Sammy Taft's shop in 1946 to check out his collection. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford any of the hats, especially the fedora he'd been eyeing. 

Taft then made a deal that if Kaleta scored three goals in his game that night, he would give him the hat free of charge. Impressively enough, Kaleta went above and beyond by scoring four goals against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Some say that the concept of a hat trick was born from this interaction with Sammy Taft. 

Others swear the term already was used in newspapers as early as the 1930s.

How Rare Are Hat Tricks?

Hat tricks can't be considered rare, but they certainly don't happen in every game. 

Hat tricks are special and historic moments for hockey players and fans alike. 

The current record for the most hat tricks recorded in a single season was set during the 2017-2018 season, during which there were 81 hat tricks in official NHL games.

Types Of Hat Tricks

There are various kinds of hat tricks on the ice. The most common and most popular are as follows:

Natural Hat Trick

A "natural" hat trick can be achieved by either scoring three goals within a short period of time or by scoring three goals consecutively in the same game.

Texas Hat Trick

As the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas, and this is true for their hat tricks, as well. A "Texas" hat trick can be achieved by scoring four goals in a single game.

Gordie Howe Hat Trick

The Gordie Howe is a rather... interesting kind of hat trick. 

To achieve a Gordie Howe hat trick, a player has to get an assist, score a goal and start (or join) a fight during the course of one game.

Conclusion

Now that you know what a hat trick is, you'll know when it's time to get up, cheer your heart out and toss your hat onto the ice in celebration.

Check out our other posts to learn more about hockey's rules, history and culture.