Henri Henri, Montreal’s legendary hat shop since 1932, also keeps beautiful pieces of sporting history behind its shelves. When a Canadiens or opposing team player scored three goals in the 1950s and 1960s, the Canadian hatter, recognized across Canada, presented the author of the hat trick with a magnificent hat. Maurice Richard and Bernard Geoffrion were almost regulars but Henri Henri also rewarded great opponents like Mikita, Hull, Howe etc.
Is this where the expression and tradition of the “hat trick” was born? No way. It comes from the English of Sheffield (England) and it was 1857. Not in hockey, in cricket when HH Stephenson managed to pass three consecutive wickets. The sponsor of the event would then have given him a hat and it was then said that the champion had pulled off a “hat trick”.
EVERYTHING ON BOARD
The entire sporting world then grabbed their hats. The French in football and rugby called it the “top of the hat”. The French-speaking hockey world has given it the name “hat trick” and the expression has also found a niche in various disciplines.
We forget, but just last December in Qatar, Kylian Mbappé of France scored in the final against Argentina. An extremely rare case…
In football, however, it will be said that the real hat trick is not simply to score three goals. The great feat is more like what Michel Platini did on June 19, 1984 in a game against Yugoslavia. Yes, Platini scored three times, but he scored the first with his right foot, the second with his left foot and finished with a header. Try this at home.
LIKE BIG JEANS
Old diehard hockey players will add that the real hat trick is a three goal game, yes, but three goals in a row. No goal from a teammate or opponent in the streak. How Jean Béliveau particularly succeeded on November 5, 1955. Back then, a team remained penalized, undermanned, even if the rival scored a goal. However, the big Jean had managed three in 44 seconds in a row at 5 on 3. Was it the fastest in history? Not even. The Blackhawks’ Bill Mosienko has already put on three in 21 seconds against the Rangers.
Hat tricks also exist in motorsport, where a driver must manage to claim pole position, fastest race lap and, most importantly, first place at the same Formula 1 Grand Prix.
And since we’re there, a hat-trick in the world’s biggest cycling event, the Tour de France, is also possible. You must complete the race with a first place alone, another in the sprint, and another against the clock.
OTHER HATS
Sometimes hat tricks have been attributed to the personality and style of athletes like Gordie Howe. Howe’s hat trick is a one goal, one assist and one fight game. Elsewhere, a surfer speaks of a Dominique Ducharme hat-trick: a COVID, a Stanley Cup final and a layoff in the same season.
The Canadian’s most incredible hat-trick would be the repechage. After picking Juraj Slafkovsky last June, Connor Bedard in less than 6 months and another top pick a year later. Ayoye dreamer.
From the enclave
- Check it out next week at the American League All-Star Weekend February 5-6 at Place Bell in Laval. NHL-like skill contests and games…but much cheaper tickets.
- The polar bear’s main problem isn’t hunting, it’s global warming. Within 25 years, the polar bear will have lost 40% of its surviving surface area to melting ice. The polar bear population could then decline by two-thirds.
- When Mitch Marner the Leafs finished his junior under Dale Hunter with London (2016), he was the team’s second goalscorer. Who was the first? Christian Dvorak, who, by the way, made the playoffs only once in almost 7 years of career. Dvorak was center between Marner and Matthew Tkatchuk. It helps.
- Did you know that the word ski comes from Norwegian and means to split? Did you know that more than 35% of the Swiss population ski, the first in the world? Did you know that the busiest ski resorts in the world are in France?
- The NHL All-Star Game, a skill competition taking place in Florida on February 3, will be complemented by new events taking place on the beach and on a golf course.
- Former captain of the Canadiens Brian GiontaToday she lives in Rochester (NY) and closely follows the activities of the Sabers, not far from Buffalo. He participates in a weekly podcast with fellow Montreal veteran Craig Rivet.
- Speaking of elders, Yaroslav Halak has a thunderclap at Rangers. 37-year-old Jaroslav has won his last four games with 2.00 goals against average and 0.927 saves. The Rangers are his seventh team since he joined the NHL in 2006 with the Canadiens. Like fine wine, Halak.
- Old Canadians? David DesharnaisFreiburg’s first goalscorer in Switzerland, now plays with Raphael Diaz and Jacob de la Rose, two other exes.
- When the NHL trade deadline arrives (March 3), the Canadians will head to the West Coast. Some will likely not return with their teammates.
