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Looking to find out who has the most hat tricks in NHL history? Look no further, as we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 players with the most hat tricks.
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Wayne Gretzky: The Great One
Wayne Gretzky, nicknamed “The Great One”, is widely considered the greatest hockey player of all time. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. During his career he amassed more goals and assists than any other player in NHL history. He is the only NHL player to total over 200 points in one season – a feat he accomplished four times. In addition, he tallied over 100 points 16 times, 14 of which were consecutive seasons.
Mario Lemieux: The Magnificent One
Mario Lemieux is widely regarded as one of the greatest hockey players of all time. He was a dominant force on the ice, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to two Stanley Cup championships. And he holds the NHL record for most hat tricks in a career, with an impressive total of 35.
Lemieux was born in Montreal, Quebec, in 1965. He began playing organized hockey at the age of six and quickly developed into a superstar. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins first overall in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.
Lemieux made an immediate impact in the NHL, scoring 73 goals and 160 points in his rookie season. He went on to win rookie of the year honors. He would go on to have an incredible career, winning six Stanley Cups, three MVP awards, and two scoring titles.
But perhaps his most impressive accomplishment is his record-setting 35 hat tricks. Lemieux achieved this feat over the course of his 17-year NHL career. His nearest competitor is Wayne Gretzky, who had 28 hat tricks.
So if you’re ever wondering who has the most hat tricks in NHL history, there’s only one correct answer: Mario Lemieux, the magnificent one.
Jaromir Jagr: The Legend
Jaromir Jagr is a Slovakian-born Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 25 seasons, most notably for the Pittsburgh Penguins, with whom he won five Stanley Cups. He is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time; he scored 1,921 points in his NHL career– the second most of any player in league history– and won two Olympic gold medals with Czechoslovakia. In 2020, Jagr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
During his NHL career, Jagr amassed 157 hat tricks– more than any other player in history. He is also the only player to have recorded a hat trick in every season he played in the NHL, a feat which he accomplished on eleven occasions. His first hat trick came against the New York Islanders on December 21, 1992; his most recent came against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 1, 2006. In addition to his regular season success, Jagr also recorded four hat tricks in the Stanley Cup playoffs– tied for the most of any player in league history.
Brett Hull: The Golden Brett
Brett Hull is one of the most prolific goal scorers in NHL history. He is best remembered for his time with the St. Louis Blues, where he scored an incredible 86 goals in just 79 games during the 1990-91 season. But Hull was also a threat to score a hat trick in any game he played. In fact, he holds the league record for most hat tricks in a career with 23.
Here is a closer look at some of the other NHL greats who have recorded multiple hat tricks throughout their careers:
player | hat tricks
—|—
Wayne Gretzky | 20
Mario Lemieux | 16
Brett Hull | 23
Mike Bossy | 12
Darryl Sittler | 10
Mark Messier | 9
Steve Yzerman: The Captain
Steve Yzerman is one of the most iconic players in NHL history. He played his entire career with the Detroit Red Wings, and was captain for over a decade. He’s also one of the most decorated players in League history, having won 3 Stanley Cups, 1 Conn Smythe Trophy, and 1 Calder Memorial Trophy.
But Steve Yzerman is also one of the most prolific goal scorers in NHL history. He’s 6th all time in goals scored, and is tied for the most hat tricks in League history with Wayne Gretzky. In all, Yzerman had 50 hat tricks in his storied career.
Mike Bossy: The Boss
Mike Bossy is a retired professional hockey player who is considered one of the greatest goal scorers of all time. He played for the New York Islanders from 1977 to 1987, during which time he helped lead the team to four Stanley Cup wins. In his rookie season, Bossy set a then-NHL record by scoring 50 goals in 50 games. He went on to score 60 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons, and retired as the NHL’s all-time leader in goals per game. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991.
Jean Beliveau: Le Gros Bill
Jean Beliveau was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for parts of 20 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, from 1950 to 1971. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972, Beliveau is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, he was one of nine children of a working-class family. He began playing organized hockey at age seven and continued until he was called up to play for the junior A Quebec Aces at age 14.
In his first season with the Aces, Beliveau scored 32 goals and led his team to the Memorial Cup final. The following year, Jean Béliveau’s family moved to Shawinigan Falls, where he joined the senior Cataractes team as an underage player. In his third season he again led his team to victory in the Memorial Cup final. After a brief stint with the Canadiens’ junior affiliate, the Montreal Royals, Béliveau made his NHL debut on December 19, 1950.
Béliveau went on to play 18 seasons with Montreal, winning 10 Stanley Cups – more than any other player in history. He holds numerous Canadiens records including most regular season points (1,219), most career playoff points (176), most Stanley Cups as captain (5), and most seasons played by a Canadiens captain (10). His number 4 jersey was retired by the team in 1971 and Béliveau became only their second inductee into their Hall of Fame in 1972 when he was also inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and named one of The Hockey News’ top 100 players of all time; he is also considered one of several first ballot inductees into the new “Hall” once it opens its doors yearly in Toronto starting November 18th 2017 according alwaysstoptheparty Alongside Maurice Richard and Henri Richard, “Le Gros Bill” remains one of only three players whose names have been engraved on the Stanley Cup more than once as both a player and head coach
Beliveau’s NHL career totals include 1,219 points (507 goals – 712 assists) over 1,125 regular season games and 176 points (79 goals – 97 assists) over 164 playoff games. In 2001 he was ranked number 25 on The Hockey News’ list of The Top 100 Players Of All Time and number 50 by ESPN. He has also been honoured by various general sports publications by being named Canada’s Athlete Of The Half Century in 1950–2000 and has been voted one Russian sportswriters’ Best Foreign Player ever four times between 1994–2001
Phil Esposito: The Big E
Phil Esposito is a name that fans of the Boston Bruins will always remember. He was one of the first great power forwards in the game and he had a knack for scoring goals in bunches. He would often put up multiple goals in a game, which earned him the nickname “The Big E.”
Esposito is the NHL’s all-time leader in hat tricks, with 49. He’s also tied for second place on the list of career regular season hat tricks, with 45. Esposito’s 49 hat tricks are made up of 45 three-goal games and four four-goal games.
The Boston Bruins legend is followed on the all-time list by Mario Lemieux, who had 46 hat tricks, and Steve Yzerman, who had 43. Jaromir Jagr is fourth on the list with 41 hat tricks, while Guy Lafleur rounds out the top five with 40.
Gordie Howe: Mr. Hockey
Gordie Howe, aka Mr. Hockey, is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time. He played for the Detroit Red Wings for most of his career and was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams. Howe holds several NHL records, including most seasons played (26), most games played (1,767), most goals (801), and most points (1,850). He also holds the record for most hat tricks in a career, with 41.
Bobby Hull: The Golden Jet
Bobby Hull is a legend in the sport of hockey. He was one of the most prolific goal scorers of his time, and his nickname, “The Golden Jet,” was a reflection of his speed and skill on the ice. Hull played for the Chicago Blackhawks for 15 seasons, and during that time, he racked up an impressive number of hat tricks. In fact, he holds the NHL record for the most hat tricks in a career, with 36.
Hull’s first hat trick came in his rookie season, during a game against the New York Rangers. He would go on to score hat tricks in every subsequent season except for his last one, in 1974-75. In total, Hull scored 1,153 goals during his NHL career, which is good for fourth all-time. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, and his number 9 jersey has been retired by the Blackhawks.
