Hat-trick explained

A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.[1]

Origin

The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries. Fans held a collection for Stephenson, and presented him with a hat bought with the proceeds.[2] [3] [4] The term was used in print for the first time in 1865 in the Chelmsford Chronicle.[5] The term was eventually adopted by many other sports including hockey, association football,[6] Formula 1 racing, rugby, and water polo.

Use

Association football

See also: Lists of hat-tricks, List of footballers who achieved hat-trick records, List of FIFA Club World Cup hat-tricks and List of FIFA World Cup hat-tricks.

A hat-trick[7] [8] occurs in association football when a player scores three goals (not necessarily consecutive) in a single game,[9] whereas scoring two goals (in a single match) is called a brace.[10] [11] In common with other official record-keeping rules, all goals scored during the regulation 90 minutes, plus extra time if required, are counted but goals in a penalty shootout are excluded from the tally.[12] The fastest recorded time to score a hat-trick is 70 seconds, a record set by Alex Torr in a Sunday league game in 2013.[13] The previous record of 90 seconds was held by Tommy Ross playing for Ross County against Nairn County on 28 November 1964.[14] The record of the youngest player ever to score a hat-trick[15] was set by Ntinos Pontikas in 1996,[16] [17] while Pelé in 1958 became the youngest to achieve a hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup.[18] [19] The first hat-trick[20] achieved in an international game was by Scottish player John McDougall, against England on 2 March 1878.[21] German Erwin Helmchen scored 141 official hat-tricks in his career with Pelé having 92.[22] American player Bert Patenaude scored the first hat-trick in the FIFA World Cup, against Paraguay in the inaugural event in 1930. Three hat-tricks have been scored in a World Cup final: by Geoff Hurst for England in the 1966 final against West Germany,[23] by Carli Lloyd for the USA against Japan in the 2015 Women's World Cup final and by Kylian Mbappé for France in the 2022 final against Argentina.[24] Lloyd's was, at 16 minutes, the fastest from kick-off in any World Cup match. However, the fastest World Cup hat-trick, as measured by time between goals, belongs to Fabienne Humm of Switzerland, who scored in the 47th, 49th and 52nd minutes against Ecuador in the 2015 group stage.[25]

Traditionally, a player who scores a hat-trick is allowed to keep the match ball as a memento.[26]

Perfect hat-trick

Football has also extended the term, with a perfect hat-trick being when a player scores one right-footed goal, one left-footed goal and one headed goal within one match.[27] [28] [29] In Germany and Austria, the term (German: '''lupenreiner''') Hattrick (flawless hat-trick) refers to when a player scores three goals in a row in one half without the half-time break or a goal scored by another player interrupting the performance.[30]

Baseball

In the past, the term was occasionally used to describe when a player struck out three times in a baseball game, and the term golden sombrero was more commonly used when a player struck out four times in a game.

In recent years, hat trick has been more often used to describe when a player hits three home runs in a game.

For example, on 29 August 2015, Toronto Blue Jays fans celebrated Edwin Encarnación's third home run of the game by throwing hats onto the field, similar to the tradition in ice hockey.[31]

Cricket

See main article: Hat-trick (cricket). A hat-trick occurs in cricket when an individual bowler takes three wickets with consecutive deliveries in the same match.

Gaelic football

In Gaelic football, a hat-trick can refer to goals or to points scored.

Eoin Liston scored a second-half hat-trick in the 1978 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.[32]

Michael Quinlivan scored a second-half hat-trick against Armagh in the final game of the 2017 National Football League to secure promotion to Division 2 for Tipperary.[33] [34]

Jack McCaffrey's total of 1–3 in the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final (drawn game) involved a "classic hat-trick" of points, sent over the bar with fist and both feet.[35]

Cillian O'Connor's four goals (accompanied by nine points) in the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final at Croke Park broke the 5–3 record set by Johnny Joyce of Dublin in 1960 and matched with 3–9 by Rory Gallagher of Fermanagh in 2002 for the highest individual scorer in any championship football match.[36] [37]

David Clifford scored a hat-trick against Galway in the opening round of the 2021 National Football League.[38]

Gridiron football

The term hat-trick is only occasionally used in gridiron football, usually for rhetorical flourish in sports writing. Usually an offensive player scoring three touchdowns in a single game is awarded a hat-trick.

Additionally, the term is applied to a defensive player, often an edge rusher, who in a single scrimmage play performs a sack which causes the quarterback to fumble, and then recovers that fumble. [39]

Handball

In handball, if a player scores thrice in a game, a hat-trick is made.

Hockey

In field hockey and ice hockey, a hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a single game. A hat trick in ice hockey, as it is known in its current form, culminates with fans throwing hats onto the ice from the stands. The tradition is said to have begun among fans in the National Hockey League around the 1950s,[40] with several conflicting legends from the Canadian cities of Toronto, Montreal, and Guelph of various hatmakers offering a free hat to players who scored a hat trick.[41] [42] [43] [44]

In 1946, the Biltmore Hat Company in Guelph sponsored the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters, a junior affiliate team of the NHL's New York Rangers. When a Mad Hatters player recorded a Hat Trick, hats were thrown on the ice and the player received a new Biltmore fedora after the game to honor his accomplishment.[43]

Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for the most hat tricks in a career with 50. Harry Hyland scored the league's first hat trick, in the league's first game on 18 December 1917, in which Hyland's Montreal Wanderers defeated the Toronto Arenas 10–9.[45]

Variations

In ice hockey, a natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three consecutive goals, uninterrupted by any other player scoring for either team.[46] The NHL record for the fastest natural hat trick is 21 seconds, set by Bill Mosienko in 1952 for the Chicago Blackhawks.[47]

A Gordie Howe hat trick is a tongue-in-cheek play on the feat. It is achieved by scoring a goal, getting an assist, and getting into a fight, all in the same game. Namesake Gordie Howe himself only recorded two in his NHL career. Rick Tocchet accomplished the feat 18 times in his career, the most in NHL history.[48]

In October 1995, Florida Panthers captain Scott Mellanby scored a rat trick, the term coined by teammate John Vanbiesbrouck. Prior to the game, Mellanby killed a rat in the Panthers' locker room with his hockey stick, and proceeded to score a pair of goals later that night.[49] When Mellanby scored a hat trick in a later game, some Florida fans threw plastic rats onto the ice, a tradition that continued for all Panthers' goals throughout the 1996 playoffs. Due to the resulting game delays caused by the necessary clean-up of the plastic rats, the league eventually banned the activity and modified Rule 63 to impose a minor penalty against the home team for a violation.[50] The more traditional practice of fans throwing hats onto the ice following genuine hat tricks remains exempt from this penalty.[50]

Lacrosse

In lacrosse, like other sports with goal scoring, hat tricks occur when a player scores three goals in one game. Fans rarely throw hats onto the playing surface to acknowledge them due to their frequent occurrences in a game. When a player scores six goals in one game, it is referred to as a sock trick[51] .

Motor racing

In motor racing, three successive race wins, winning the same event three times in a row, or securing pole position, fastest lap and race victory in one event may all be referred to as a hat-trick.

Rugby football

See also: List of Rugby World Cup hat-tricks and List of Rugby League World Cup hat-tricks.

In both codes of rugby football (rugby union and rugby league) a hat-trick is when a player scores three or more tries in a game. In rugby union, a related concept is that of a "full house" (scoring a try, conversion, penalty goal, and drop goal) in a single game. When a player scores two tries, this is often referred to as a brace. As with association football, it is common to award the match ball to a player who scores a hat-trick.

Ken Irvine and Frank Burge both scored 16 hat-tricks in Australian first grade rugby league.[52]

Shaun Johnson scored a hat-trick in under 6 minutes against the Canberra Raiders in 2013, and in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, Valentine Holmes scored a double hat-trick (6 tries) against Fiji.

Water polo

In water polo, if a player scores thrice in a game, a hat-trick is scored.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: hat trick . dictionary.cambridge.org . . 1 August 2021 . en . 6 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210306080751/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hat-trick . live .
  2. Extended Oxford English Dictionary 1999 Edition : "It came into use after HH Stephenson took three wickets in three balls for the all-England eleven against the twenty-two of Hallam at the Hyde Park ground, Sheffield in 1858. A collection was held for Stephenson (as was customary for outstanding feats by professionals) and he was presented with a cap or hat bought with the proceeds."
  3. Web site: hat-trick . July 27, 2023 . Oxford Learner's Dictionaries.
  4. Web site: Hutchinson . Sean . 2014-04-24 . Where Does the Phrase 'Hat Trick' Come From? . 2023-07-28 . Mental Floss . en-US.
  5. A report of a match between Grays and Romford in Book: The Chelmsford Chronicle . 23 June 1865 . 9781890009908 . 866859233 . . Mr Biddell...with his second ball bowled the Romford leviathan Mr Beauchamp and afterwards effected the hat-trick by getting three wickets in the over. . subscription . Messner . Reinhold . Executive Excellence Pub. . 27 March 2017 . 28 March 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170328021059/http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/infomark.do?serQuery=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29:FQE=%28JX%2CNone%2C22%29%22Chelmsford%20Chronicle%22%24&queryType=PH&type=pubIssues&prodId=BNCN&version=1.0&source=library . live .
  6. Web site: Why is it called a hat-trick? - Pelé youngest in World Cup, Pontikas youngest ever. vimbuzz.com. 18 December 2022. 1 April 2023. 1 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230401071429/https://vimbuzz.com/why-is-it-called-a-hat-trick/. live.
  7. Web site: What do they do with hats after a hat-trick. The Times. 3 December 2022. Uwakwe Benson. 30 March 2023. 30 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230330065910/https://www.thetimes.com.ng/2022/12/what-do-they-do-with-hats-after-a-hat-trick/. live.
  8. Web site: What Is a Hat-Trick in Football and How Common Are They? - Records by Helmchen, Bican, Pantelic, Lucijanic, Pontikas and Pelé. footballcollective.org.uk. August 2022. 30 March 2023. 22 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230522214752/https://footballcollective.org.uk/terminology/hat-trick/. live.
  9. Web site: What Is A Hat Trick In Soccer? : In-depth Guide. readsoccer.com. 14 April 2023. 17 April 2023. 17 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230417042429/https://readsoccer.com/what-is-a-hat-trick-in-soccer-in-depth-guide/. live.
  10. http://www.soccer-training-info.com/soccer_definitions.asp Soccer Definitions & Slang Terms
  11. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/brace "Brace" means two of a kind or a pair of something
  12. Kicks from the penalty mark (aka penalty shootout) do not form part of the match. Web site: Laws of the Game 2009/2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090710202515/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/81/42/36/lawsofthegameen.pdf . dead . 10 July 2009 . 130 . IFAB . International Football Association Board . . Zürich . July 2009 . 9 April 2010.
  13. Web site: Sunday league footballer scores hat-trick in record-breaking 70 seconds. Steve White. 3 May 2013. mirror. 6 July 2015. 21 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150721072933/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sunday-league-footballer-scores-hat-trick-1868201. live.
  14. Web site: Fastest time to score a hat-trick, Football . Guinness World Records . 18 August 2011 . 16 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180916015745/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-time-to-score-a-hat-trick-football . live .
  15. Web site: Youngest Players in History to Score a Hat-Trick. www.urdusport.com. 1 September 2023.
  16. Web site: The magical feeling of a hat-trick: from McDougall, Bican and Pelé to Lucijanic, Siri and Pontikas . 21 June 2021 . 90soccer.com . 21 June 2021 . 9 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220409014651/https://90soccer.com/the-magical-feeling-of-a-hat-trick/ . live .
  17. Web site: Ntinos Pontikas, the Greek Freddy Adu. 6 March 2021. ashflowersports.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182016/https://ashflowersports.com/2021/03/06/ntinos-pontikas-the-greek-freddy-adu/. 6 March 2021. 9 July 2021.
  18. Web site: History of the World Cup: 1958 – A star is born in Pele . sportsnet . 9 June 2018 . 7 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180807064435/https://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/1958-world-cup-pele-a-star-is-born/ . live .
  19. Web site: Pele's legendary career told in numbers: Just how good was Brazil's emblematic forward? . www.squawka.com . 30 December 2022 . Ben Green . 30 March 2023 . 6 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230206135520/https://www.squawka.com/en/pele-legendary-career-in-numbers/ . live .
  20. Web site: Which Footballer Has Scored the Most Hat-Tricks?. 1 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230817204408/https://www.bookiesignupoffers.com/2023/08/01/which-footballer-has-scored-the-most-hat-tricks/. 17 August 2023.
  21. https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/scot-intres1880.html Scotland – International Matches 1872–1880
  22. https://topsoccerblog.com/football-players-with-most-hattricks/ 10 Players with the most hat tricks in history - Topsoccer.com
  23. News: On This Day 30 July – 1966: Football glory for England . BBC . 18 August 2011 . 30 July 1966 . 7 March 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080307005913/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/30/newsid_2644000/2644065.stm . live .
  24. Web site: Kylian Mbappe historic World Cup hat trick: France star becomes second player to nab three goals in FIFA championship. www.sportingnews.com. 18 December 2022.
  25. News: Women's World Cup 2015: Fabienne Humm scores fastest World Cup hat-trick. 30 March 2018. BBC Sport. 13 June 2015.
  26. Web site: The knowledge: Who gets the match ball?. Turner. Georgina. 2004-01-28. The Guardian. en. 2018-06-25. 25 June 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180625185546/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2004/jan/28/theknowledge.sport. live.
  27. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20639621 Michel Platini: Uefa chief has his critics but is used to success
  28. https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31679560 Alberto Bueno scored four La Liga goals in ..16 .. minutes
  29. Web site: The Perfect Hat Trick | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary . 3 October 2019 . 3 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190603043948/https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/perfect-hat-trick . live .
  30. Web site: Woodward. Hamish. 2021-06-07. What is a Brace in Soccer? And Other Interesting Football Terminology. 2021-06-07. Atletifo Sports. en-US. 7 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210607091754/https://atletifo.com/football/what-is-a-brace-in-soccer-and-other-interesting-football-terminology/. live.
  31. Web site: Hat trick! Edwin Encarnación hits three homers, drives in nine in Jays win. 29 August 2015. Yahoo! Sports. 14 January 2017. 6 April 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170406112116/https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/hat-trick--edwin-encarnacion-hits-three-homers--drives-in-nine-in-jays-win-202735441.html. live.
  32. [Martin Breheny|Breheny, Martin]
  33. News: For the love of club, county and football – why Tipperary's star forward came home. Sunday Independent. Dermot. Crowe. 6 December 2020. 9 December 2020. 6 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201206095327/https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/for-the-love-of-club-county-and-football-why-tipperarys-star-forward-came-home-39830151.html. live.
  34. https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-20446812.html Michael Quinlivan heroics against Armagh sees Tipperary promoted
  35. News: Frank. Roche. 'Dart from Clontarf' arrives on time for Blues' final destination. Sunday Independent. 14 September 2019. 14 September 2019. We had the classic hat-trick of points - via fist, left foot and right.. 8 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200908003841/https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/frank-roche-dart-from-clontarf-arrives-on-time-for-blues-final-destination-38496391.html. live.
  36. News: Cillian O'Connor the record-breaker as Tipperary fairytale ends. Joe. 6 December 2020. 9 December 2020. 9 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201209011614/https://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/cillian-oconnor-record-breaker-tipperary-fairytale-ends-221290. live.
  37. News: O'Connor breaks All-Ireland scoring record with 4-9. Hogan Stand. 6 December 2020. 9 December 2020. 9 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201209012643/https://hoganstand.com/Mayo/article/index/314621. live.
  38. News: 'I don't know where that came from' - Clifford coy on stunning finish for hat-trick. RTÉ. 16 May 2021. 21 May 2021. 21 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210521043512/https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2021/0515/1221868-i-dont-know-where-that-came-from-clifford/. live.
  39. News: Kentucky Football: Former Wildcat Josh Allen honored for rare NFL hat-trick. Fansided. 10 Nov 2021. 10 Nov 2021. 10 Nov 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211110174628/https://wildcatbluenation.com/2021/11/10/former-kentucky-football-star-josh-allen/. live.
  40. News: Guelph's tricky claim. 6 April 2009. 21 March 2009. Guelph Mercury. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090325053026/http://news.guelphmercury.com/News/article/455592. 25 March 2009. dmy-all.
  41. Web site: Miscellaneous Trivia . . 20 June 2014 . 1 September 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140901040718/http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26376 . live .
  42. Web site: About Henri Henri . Henri Henri . 13 March 2012 . 26 April 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120426061305/http://henrihenri.ca/en/historique.htm . live .
  43. Web site: The Hat Trick Returns to Its Hockey Birthplace . GuelphStorm.com . 21 October 2014 . 22 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141022010621/http://www.guelphstorm.com/article/2006-9-12_the_hat_trick_returns_to_its_hockey_birthplace . live .
  44. Web site: Toronto Invents: The Hat Trick. Torontoist. 21 October 2014. 3 April 2013. 30 September 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130930011149/http://torontoist.com/2013/04/toronto-invents-the-hat-trick/. live.
  45. News: Boswell. Randy. Solving the mystery of the NHL's 1st game. 16 April 2017. CBC News. 16 April 2017. 19 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319222610/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/mystery-nhl-first-game-montreal-1.4049433. live.
  46. Web site: Hat tricks coming at a fairly frequent pace. Adam Kimmelman, Jonah Bruce. NHL Insider. NHL. 15 November 2010. 13 March 2012. 17 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120117144546/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=543580. live.
  47. Web site: Ryan's natural hat trick not enough as Ducks fall to Kings . The Sports Network . 18 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111222193336/http://www.sportsnetwork.com/merge/tsnform.aspx?c=sportsnetwork&page=nhl%2Fnews%2Fnewstest.aspx%3Fid%3D4202314 . 22 December 2011 . dmy-all .
  48. Web site: Going inside the 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick' . John McGourty . Inside NHL . NHL . 25 January 2010 . 13 March 2012 . 17 January 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120117150321/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=514973 . live .
  49. Montville . Leigh . Rat Pack . Sports Illustrated . 10 June 1996 . 29 January 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081206082730/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1008229/index.htm . 6 December 2008 . dmy-all .
  50. Web site: OFFICIAL NHL RULES – Rule 63, Delaying the Game. 13 June 2010. 10 May 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100510004223/http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=26355. live.
  51. Web site: National Lacrosse League . Box Lacrosse 101 . 25 February 2024 . "WHAT IS A SOCK TRICK? … A sock trick is when a player scores six goals in a game. The legend goes that the Colorado Mammoth started the sock trick in 2004 when Gary Gait scored six goals in a game and the fans started throwing their socks on the turf.".
  52. Web site: Rugby League Tables / Scoring Records. afltables.com. 6 July 2015. 14 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150714020249/http://afltables.com/rl/scorers/misc.html#mht. live.