What is a Gordie Howe Hat Trick? (Explained)

‘Mr. Hockey’ Gordie Howe was arguably the best complete player the world has ever seen when he played pro hockey from 1946 to 1980. Howe could do it all; skate, score, set up his teammates, and take care of himself on the ice. The Hall of Famer notched 801 goals, 1,049 assists and 1,850 points in his NHL career and totaled 975 goals and 2,358 points when his six-year World Hockey Association (WHA) stint is added in. To top things off, Howe also served 2,084 minutes in penalties in his 2,186 combined NHL and WHA regular-season games. 

To honor the way he played, a Gordie Howe hat trick occurs when a player scores a goal, receives an assist, and has a fight in the same game. The phrase “Gordie Howe hat trick” was reportedly first spoken in the 1950s by a New York sportswriter, it wasn’t until 1996 that it became known as an unofficial statistic.

Why is it Called the Gordie Howe Hat Trick?

The Gordie Howe hat trick consists of three separate hockey plays and was basically named after him as a tribute to the way he competed on the ice. The winger was an excellent goal scorer and playmaker and never hesitated to drop the gloves to stand up and protect himself or his teammates. Howe, was known to utilize his elbows and stick to great effect to create more room for himself on the ice and this resulted in his high penalty minute total. Of course, opponents would often object or retaliate to Howe’s style of play and the debates led to numerous bouts of fisticuffs. Howe usually won his fights against the league’s toughest players and after several seasons in the NHL, he was typically left alone and was rarely challenged to drop the gloves. In total, Howe took part in 22 recorded fights during his career. 

When did the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” Originate?

Oddly enough, the first recorded instance of a Gordie Howe hat trick in the NHL came before Howe was even born. It reportedly occurred in December, 1920 when future Hall of Famer Harry Cameron of the Toronto St. Patricks was credited with a scoring a goal and assist and also got into a fight in a 7-5 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. As mentioned earlier, the phrase “Gordie Howe hat trick” was reportedly first mentioned in the 1950s by a New York sportswriter but it wasn’t until 1996 that it became known as an unofficial statistic and was then traced back through history. 

How Many Gordie Howe Hat Tricks Did Gordie Howe Have?

Another oddity is the fact that Howe himself notched only two Gordie Howe hat tricks during his amazing career. He recorded his first hockey trifecta on October 11, 1953 when playing for the Detroit Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs at home at Detroit’s old Olympia Stadium. The Red Wings won the contest 4-0 with Howe setting up Red Kelly for the first goal of the game and then scoring himself seven minutes later. He then got into a fight with Fern Flaman just 31 seconds after scoring to earn his first Gordie Howe hat trick.

Remarkably, it all took place in the first period. His second Gordie Howe hat trick came in a 6-1 home win over the Maple Leafs approximately on March 21, 1954 when he scored, set up two goals by Ted Lindsay, and fought with Toronto’s Ted Kennedy.

What NHL Players Have the Most Gordie Howe Hat Tricks?

The 11 NHL players credited with the most Gordie Howe hat tricks as of December 2021 are as follows: 

Player	Number of Gordie Howe Hat Tricks
Rick Tocchet	18
Brendan Shanahan	17
Brian Sutter	17
Wilf Paiement	16
Tiger Williams	15
Cam Neely	12
Jarome Iginla	11
Keith Tkachuk	10
Gerard Gallant	10
Al Secord	9
Paul Coffey	9

Notable players who just missed making the list include Bobby Orr with eight Gordie Howe hat tricks, Wendel Clark with seven, and Lanny McDonald with six. 

Who Has the Fastest Gordie Howe Hat Trick?

It’s believed that Dale Weise of the Philadelphia Flyers recorded the fastest Gordie Howe hat trick in NHL history in a game against the New York Islanders on March 20, 2017. Weise scored at the 4:30 mark of the first period, added an assist at the 8:06 mark, and got into a fight at 8:28. This meant he achieved the feat in 3 minutes and 58 seconds of playing time.  

Did Wayne Gretzky Ever Have a Gordie Howe Hat Trick?

Wayne Gretzky recorded just one Gordie Howe hat trick during his career. He scored a goal and two assists and got into a fight in an 8-2 home victory over the Minnesota North Stars on December 22nd, 1982. Gretzky scored a goal and two assists and fought Neal Broten.

Did Sidney Crosby Ever Have a Gordie Howe Hat Trick? 

Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in a 5-4 shootout win on the road over the Boston Bruins on December 20th, 2007. He netted a goal and two assists and fought with Andrew Ference. The fight was the first of Crosby’s NHL career. 

Gordie Howe Hat Trick Oddities

As of 2021, the NHL has seen a Gordie Howe hat trick achieved just twice when two opposing players have scored a goal and assist and then fought each other in the same game. The first double Gordie Howe hat trick took place on March 9, 2010 with the Columbus Blue Jackets beating the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on the road. After scoring a goal and an assist earlier in the contest, Columbus’ Fedor Tyutin fought the Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf at the end of the second period. Getzlaf then went on to notch a goal and assists in the third stanza. On January 10, 2012, Adam Henrique of the New Jersey Devils and Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames fought each other and both players went on to add a goal and assists to the score sheet. In fact, Iginla ended up with a goal, a fight and two assists. 

Also, teammates have recorded Gordie Howe hat tricks in the same game several times. On April 5, 2012, both Ryan Clowe and Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks recorded them in a game against the Los Angeles Kings. It was the third Gordie Howe hat trick of Clowe’s NHL career and the fourth at the time for Thornton. In addition, on March 30, 2017, Wayne Simmonds and Dale Weise of the Philadelphia Flyers each earned a Gordie Howe hat trick in an outing against the New York Islanders.

Three players managed to end a game with a Gordie Howe hat trick on November 14, 1992 when Wayne Presley of the Buffalo Sabres recorded one along with Benoit Hogue and Tom Fitzgerald of the New York Islanders. Fitzgerald netted a goal, assist and a fight, while Wayne Presley had a goal, two assists and a scrap and Benoit Hogue tallied two goals and assist and a fight. 

On April 9, 1981 three players tallied a Gordie Howe hat trick when the Minnesota North Stars downed the Boston Bruins 9-6 in a good old fashioned shootout. Bobby Smith and Bryan Maxwell of Minnesota earned one while Brad Park of the Bruins scored a goal and three assists and also fought Smith during the game. 

On November 19, 2014, the Edmonton Oilers called up Steve Pinizzotto for a game against the Vancouver Canucks, which was the player’s former team. Pinizzotto earned a Gordie Howe hat trick in the game and also tallied his first career NHL goal. Pinizzotto notched just one more NHL goal in his career which meant 50 per cent of his goals came during a Gordie Howe hat trick. 

Tyler Lewington played his second career NHL game on December 29, 2018 when his Washington Capitals faced the Ottawa Senators. He recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick with his goal, assists and fight all being his NHL firsts in each category. 

The first NHL player to record Gordie Howe hat tricks on two consecutive nights was the Montreal Canadiens’ Doug Risebrough. He notched one in each game against the Chicago Blackhawks on February 15th and 16th, 1975.  The New York Rangers’ Jacob Trouba equalled the feat on December 7th and 8th 2021 in games against the Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche. 

Final Thoughts 

Gordie Howe hat tricks are typically recorded by rugged, offensive players but anybody can be credited with one if they should happen to engage in a fight. In fact, some of the game’s most gentlemanly players such as Pavel Datsyuk, a four-time Lady Byng Trophy winner for sportsmanship, has earned one. Gordie Howe hat tricks will never disappear as long as the NHL allows fighting so fans should expect them to be around for quite some time.