Hat trick In ice hockey a hat - trick is when a player scores three goal s in a game . Although people may consider a hat trick as three goals scored in a row , this is commonly confused with a " natural hat trick " ( see below ) . If a member of the home team in ice hockey scores a hat - trick , fans acknowledge it by throwing their own hats from the stands onto the ice , often causing a delay in play . This custom was started in Guelph , Ontario with the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters , sponsored by Biltmore Hats . Biltmore Hats would award any player scoring 3 goals in one game a new hat to award this accomplishment . In 1996 , the Florida Panthers fans celebrated goals ( not just hat - tricks ) by throwing plastic rats onto the ice , which were then cleaned up by men dressed in Orkin ( a pest control company ) exterminator outfits . The history of this goes back to an incident in December 1995 , when Scott Mellanby scored what teammate John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed a " rat trick " after ridding the Panthers ' locker room at Miami Arena of an unwanted rat with his stick on the same night he scored a pair of goals . When Mellanby scored a hat trick in a later game some fans threw plastic rats on the ice , mimicking the octopus thrown by Detroit Red Wings fans , and the practice soon became universal for Panthers home goals . The NHL later responded by banning the throwing of objects onto the ice by fans at the cost of a penalty for the home team , but specifically allowed the traditional throwing of hats to continue . There appears to be some leeway with regards to what can be thrown onto the ice following a hat trick , as witnessed after the Nashville Predators ' Paul Kariya scored a hat trick on April 18 , 2006 when two catfish were thrown on the ice and no penalty was given . Former Blackhawk Bill Mosienko holds the NHL record for scoring the quickest hat trick . He scored 3 goals in 21 seconds against the New York Rangers on March 23 , 1952 . Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for most hat tricks ( all of them natural ) in a career by 50 . Because of this , it is sometimes unofficially known as a " Wayne Gretzky hat trick " . A natural hat trick is when a player scores three consecutive goals in the same game . A player accomplishes a " Gordie Howe hat trick " by scoring a goal , getting an assist , and getting in a fight , all in the same game though Howe only recorded two in his career . While this description has remained popular , it doesn ' t satisfy the conditions of a hat trick . Mario Lemieux once accomplished what was unofficially referred to as a " Mario Lemieux hat trick " in 1993 , by receiving radiation treatment for Hodgkin ' s lymphoma the day of the game , and then scoring a goal and an assist that night against the Philadelphia Flyers . He has also recorded a " 5 - goal hat trick " ( or the " ultimate hat trick " , or a " quintella " , or " Lemieux Cycle " ) in which he scored in five possible game situations in one game , on 31 December 1988 against the New Jersey Devils . He scored on a powerplay , shorthanded , even strength , penalty shot and an empty net goal . Calgary Flames star Jarome Iginla came close on February 23 , 2003 against the Phoenix Coyotes : he scored on a powerplay , shorthanded , even strength and an empty net goal , but Mario Lemieux is the only player to score the " Quintella " in NHL history .