What is a hat trick in hockey?

It's the fifth game of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. Mark Stone scores a hat trick in the game to help the Vegas Golden Knights clinch their first Stanley Cup. Life is good as the fans sing "We Are The Champions." Random strangers are hugging each other and jumping for joy, drinking the "Knight" away as the Golden Knights are on top of the world.

The game was an absolute laugher, with Vegas tripling up the Florida Panthers, 9-3. After winning the previous game in a nail-biter, 3-2, they needed something to take the edge off and win decisively. That's what the fifth game offered Vegas, for the captain was the catalyst for the team winning their first championship.

But there's much more to that game than winning the title. It's about Stone's hat trick which won them the title. Vegas wouldn't be where they were without the Winnipeg native on their team. That's especially true on that fateful night of June 13, 2023, when the Golden Knights changed the hockey with his hat trick. Here's the definition of the sport's most treasured achievements.

The definition of a hat trick

A hat trick is when a player scores three goals in a game. It's a rare achievement that bolsters the player's stat line and the team's score. It's also an absolute nightmare for the opposing team, where the accolade makes it tougher to win a game.

That was the case for the Panthers, who needed a statement win in that fateful game. With a derailing home loss before, the momentum was on their opponent's side. There was no way they could win the Stanley Cup Final unless they stole a game at T-Mobile Arena.

Considering Sergei Bobrovsky was extremely shaky in that playoff series, it made matters worse. Thus, Mark Stone scored three goals (including an empty netter), the Vegas Golden Knights are world champions, and everyone in Toshiba Plaza is cheering and getting drunk.

However, there's an alternate hat trick associated with a hockey legend: The Gordie Howe hat trick. That's where the player scores a goal, an assist, and gets into a fight in a game. It's based on the Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer's infamous achievement, where he'd constantly get into a fight during NHL games. The first hat trick of his kind happened on December 22, 1920 (long before Howe was even born). That belongs to fellow Hall of Famer and Toronto St. Pats legend, Harry Cameron.