The National Hockey League is the oldest and the most exciting ice hockey league in North America. Consisting of 32 active teams, the NHL has witnessed many significant games, milestones, and memorable events throughout its history. The league has also produced many notable players like Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Mario Lemineux, Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hall, Alex Ovechkin and the most notable of all, Wayne Gretzky.
Moreover, these players have been part of many memorable Hat Tricks throughout the years. However, scoring of Hat Tricks gained significant attention during the 1950s, with several fans throwing their hats onto the ice from the stands. It has become one of the most iconic fan activities in the league since then and any Hat Trick scored is celebrated widely with much enthusiasm and energy.
Most Career Hat Tricks in the NHL
Wayne Gretzky, known affectionately as "The Great One", has the most hat tricks at 50 over a career that spanned two decades. Moreover, it is an untouched benchmark in the history of the sport.
Next on the list, comes Mario Lemieux, who scored 40 career hat tricks in a career spanning 17 seasons. Lemineux is followed by Mike Bossy, Brett Hull and other legendary players. In terms of active players, Alex Ovechkin leads the pack with 30 hat tricks scored over a 19-season career followed by David Pastrnak and Filip Forsberg with 17 hat tricks and 10 hat tricks respectively.
The following table focuses on players with the most number of Hat-tricks in the NHL:
| Rank | Name of Player | Career Hat Tricks | No. of Seasons |
| 1 | Wayne Gretzky | 50 | 20 |
| 2 | Mario Lemieux | 40 | 17 |
| 3 | Mike Bossy | 39 | 10 |
| 4 | Brett Hull | 33 | 19 |
| 5 | Phil Esposito | 32 | 18 |
| 6 | Alex Ovechkin | 30 | 19 |
| 7 | Marcel Dionne | 28 | 18 |
| 8 | Bobby Hull | 28 | 16 |
| 9 | Maurice Richard | 26 | 18 |
| 10 | Cy Denneny | 25 | 12 |
| 11 | Jari Kurri | 23 | 17 |
| 12 | Teemu Selanne | 22 | 21 |
| 13 | Glenn Anderson | 21 | 16 |
| 14 | Rick Martin | 21 | 11 |
| 15 | Darryl Sittler | 20 | 15 |
| 16 | Pavel Bure | 20 | 12 |
| 17 | Gordie Howe | 19 | 26 |
| 18 | Mark Messier | 19 | 25 |
| 19 | Dino Ciccarelli | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Peter Bondra | 19 | 16 |
| 21 | Steve Yzerman | 18 | 22 |
| 22 | Brendan Shanahan | 18 | 21 |
| 23 | Jean Beliveau | 18 | 20 |
| 24 | Mike Gartner | 18 | 19 |
| 25 | Bernie Nicholls | 18 | 18 |
| 26 | Gilbert Perreault | 18 | 17 |
| 27 | Joe Malone | 18 | 7 |
| 28 | Guy Lafleur | 17 | 17 |
| 29 | Alexander Mogilny | 17 | 16 |
| 30 | Peter Stastny | 17 | 15 |
| 31 | Tim Kerr | 17 | 13 |
| 32 | David Pastrnak | 17 | 10 |
| 33 | Stan Mikita | 16 | 22 |
| 34 | Bryan Trottier | 16 | 18 |
| 35 | Lanny McDonald | 16 | 16 |
| 36 | Michel Goulet | 16 | 15 |
| 37 | Babe Dye | 16 | 11 |
| 38 | Jaromir Jagr | 15 | 24 |
| 39 | Joe Sakic | 15 | 20 |
| 40 | Luc Robitaille | 15 | 19 |
| 41 | Pierre Turgeon | 15 | 19 |
| 42 | Dale Hawerchuk | 15 | 16 |
| 43 | Theo Fleury | 15 | 15 |
| 44 | Newsy Lalonde | 15 | 6 |
| 45 | Joe Nieuwendyk | 14 | 20 |
| 46 | Norm Ullman | 14 | 20 |
| 47 | Frank Mahovlich | 14 | 18 |
| 48 | Eric Staal | 14 | 18 |
| 49 | Rick Tocchet | 14 | 18 |
| 50 | Marian Gaborik | 14 | 17 |
Most Hat Tricks in a Single Season
Here too, Wayne Gretzky is no stranger in leading the pack of the most hat tricks scored in a single season. Notably, Gretzky scored a record ten hat tricks in a single season twice (in 1981-82 and 1983-84).
This is followed by Mario Lemieux who scored nine hat tricks in his career and other notable players. Out of them, Auston Mathews recently scored six hat tricks in the 2023-24 season. The list also includes players like Mike Bossy, Richard Martin,, Phil Esposito, Cy Denneny and Joe Malone.
The below table looks at players who have scored the most hat tricks in a single season:
| Name | Season | Hat Tricks |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1983-84 | 10 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1981-82 | 10 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1988-89 | 9 |
| Mike Bossy | 1980-81 | 9 |
| Brett Hull | 1991-92 | 8 |
| Alexander Mogilny | 1992-93 | 7 |
| Richard Martin | 1975-76 | 7 |
| Phil Esposito | 1970-71 | 7 |
| Cy Denneny | 1917-18 | 7 |
| Joe Malone | 1917-18 | 7 |
| Auston Matthews | 2023-24 | 6 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1995-96 | 6 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1986-87 | 6 |
| Wayne Gretzky | 1984-85 | 6 |
| Jonathan Cheechoo | 2005-06 | 5 |
| Teemu Selanne | 1992-93 | 5 |
| Theo Fleury | 1990-91 | 5 |
| Brett Hull | 1989-90 | 5 |
| Jimmy Carson | 1987-88 | 5 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1987-88 | 5 |
| Hakan Loob | 1987-88 | 5 |
| Tim Kerr | 1984-85 | 5 |
| Jari Kurri | 1984-85 | 5 |
| Mike Bossy | 1983-84 | 5 |
| Lanny McDonald | 1982-83 | 5 |
FAQ's On Hat Tricks in the NHL
A. Wayne Gretzky, known affectionately as "The Great One", has the most hat tricks at 50 over a career that spanned two decades.
A. Alex Ovechkin has scored 30 hat tricks till date in his 19-season career.
A. Wayne Gretzky scored a record ten hat tricks in a single season twice (in 1981-82 and 1983-84).
A. Jordan Staal holds the record of the youngest player to score a hat trick in the NHL, he was 18 years and 153 days old.
A. Bill Mosienko holds the record of fastest hat trick in the NHL history, scoring three goals in 21 seconds.
