The Gordie Howe Hatrick is the most impressive single game tri-fecta achievable in all of sports. One goal, one assist & one fight all in the same night.

The Competition

Basketball’s Triple-Double – Getting double digits (10+) points in 3 different categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks ect) in one game. A very impressive feat for one guy, but really a player just needs to be good, not necessarily an all-around player. I equate this to getting a regular 3 goal hattrick in hockey. You simply need skill.

Baseball’s Grand Slam – Hitting a homerun with runners on all 3 bags. Impressive for sure, but really just a timing thing. A homerun is the same whether there are 3 players on base or 0. So really it is just being clutch when you’re up to bat. This is comparable to scoring in a shootout.

Gordie Howe

When you compare, there’s really no comparison. What makes the Gordie Howe Hat trick so remarkable is how hard it is to be such a well-rounded player. One must fully comprehend several different facets of the game in order to achieve such a distinct honor. Guys who can fight usually can’t score and vice versa. It’s takes an incredibly special athlete to do both.

In hockey, winning is tough and for a team to be successful they need many different components such as speed, heart, grit, talent and leadership. For example: In 90-91 Brett Hull scored 86 goals for the St. Louis Blues. Adam Oates only had 25 but he also had 90 assists. There are teams that sign guys strictly because they are individually talented goal-scorers, playmakers, or fighters. But when you get all 3 in one solid package, that’s when you’ve struck gold.

The only thing better: a Captain who can score, fight & lead. For more about Gordie Howe and the statistic bearing his name read what the NHL had to say here. FUN FACT: Brendan Shanahan leads the NHL with 17 of these games throughout his carrer.

Recent Gordie Howe Hattie’s:

• Rick Nash – Columbus Blue Jackets vs Minnesota Wild (1/23/2010)
• Brandon Dubinsky – New York Rangers vs Tampa Bay Lightning (1/19/2010)
• Jason Chimera’s – Florida Panters vs Washington Capitals (1/13/2010)
• Ian Laperriere - Philadelphia Flyers vs Dallas Stars (1/12/2010)