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, and the Chicago Blackhawks are the only NHL franchises that record their Gordie Howe hat tricks. The Boston Bruins became the latest franchise to record such a feat when defenceman Zdeno Chara recorded the Gordie Howe hat trick at Wells Fargo Center against the Philadelphia Flyers on December 17, 2011.
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]
Brendan Shanahan is the Gordie Howe hat trick leader in recent history, with 17 recorded efforts.[3]