There's no denying that Gordie Howe is one of the best hockey players to ever lace up the skates. With a nickname like "Mr. Hockey," your legacy is going to be around for the long run. Known for his scoring prowess and physical style of play, Howe's legacy is forever cemented in hockey lore.
One way in which Howe's legacy lives on is with the "Gordie Howe hat trick." This doesn't involve a three-goal performance like a regular hat trick, but combines several aspects of hockey into one impressive feat.
Why do they call it a Gordie Howe hat trick?
A Gordie Howe hat trick is when a player scores a goal, has an assist, and gets in a fight - all in the same game. It is a rare accomplishment that highlights not only a player's great hockey skill set, but their versatility and toughness as well.
The feat is named after Gordie Howe because of his specatcular well-rounded game. He is perhaps the most complete hockey player the game has ever seen.
Playing in Detroit from the age of 18 in 1946 until the age of 42 in 1971, Howe scored 786 goals and dished out 1,023 assists for a total of 1,809 points over 1,687 games in Hockeytown. In his NHL career, Howe potted 801 goals and dished out 1,049 assists for 1,850 points.
In addition to racking up Hall of Fame offensive statistics, Howe's style of play was extremely physical and intimidating. He was also exceptionally durable. Using his great physical strength and tenacity, Howe orchestrated an NHL career that spanned a whopping six decades.
Who has the most Gordie Howe hat tricks?
Interestingly enough, Howe himself only recorded two "Gordie Howe hat tricks" in his illustrious NHL career that spanned 2,421 games. Both instances came against the Toronto Maple Leafs. His first came on October 1, 1953 when he scored a goal, assisted on Red Kelly's goal, and fought Toronto's Fernie Flaman. The second occurence came on March 21, 1954 when Howe scored the first goal of the game, assisted on a pair of goals from Ted Lindsay, and fought Toronto's Ted Kennedy.
The all-time leader in Gordie Howe hat tricks is Rick Tocchet with 18. Former Red Wing Brendan Shanahan has 17 to his name, and Brian Sutter has 16. The active player with the most Gordie Howe hat tricks is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, who has two.
The rare "Double Gordie," which refers to two players who each collected a Gordie Howe hat trick and fought against each other in the same game, has happened on five different occasions. It most recently occured on October 9, 2024, when Vancouver's J.T. Miller fought Calgary's Anthony Mantha, with each player scoring a goal and collecting an assist in the game as well.
On December 129, 2018, Washington's Tyler Lewington became the only player in NHL history to record a Gordie Howe hat trick with all three components being career firsts. Lewington was playing in his second career NHL game when he scored his first career goal, picked up his first career assist on a goal by Tom Wilson, and dropped his gloves in the NHL for the first time against Ottawa's Zack Smith.
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