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midnightsmum

Weekend Trivia ~ Saturday

Good Saturday Morning, Cottagers! It's a grey day here - perfect for trivia, maybe some painting!!

I grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada, and the Original 6. You may not know what that is, but in Canada it is a tradition bordering on religion - think Friday Night Football in the US. With the Winter Olympics getting started, there has been a lot of conversation on the radio about sporting traditions and terminology. The one phrase I had always wondered about is 'Hat-Trick'. Wikipedia says "A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times or more during a game, or other achievements based on threes." I always associated this term with the NHL, but I heard other references this week.

So, there is my question this week - which sport first used, or coined the term Hat-trick, and why a hat? Interesting, eh? Tickles the little grey cells no? I'll be back with clues, unless I was the only clueless one here!

Nancy.

Comments (24)

  • thinman
    10 years ago

    You aren't the only clueless one, Nancy. I'm clueless too, but not for long, I hope.

    TM

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    10 years ago

    Hmmm, I think I know the "which" but not the "why".

    Annette

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Aahh..Annette - thought you might catch on! A tip of my hat to you!! You know, it seems like it is much easier to get a hat-trick in hockey than in this sport - that kinda bowled me over!!

    Nancy.

  • mnwsgal
    10 years ago

    I don't know the sport but have an idea from the clue above. Think I know the reason for the reference to a hat trick though I will keep it under my hat for the moment.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Um, I thought I knew this, but if bowled over is a clue, then I am not sure. I never quite understand the game I am considering despite spending many hours at a club that began with and is named after this game.

    It has been a pretty rotten week here, so I have not even begun to think about tomorrow. Will try to come up with something before morning.

    Cynthia

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    The term was first used in 1858, in the game we seek to name. It was eventually adopted by many other sports including association football, water polo, and team handball, but did not become popular in North America until the mid-1940s in the National Hockey League.
    {{gwi:596872}}
    In both field hockey and ice hockey, a hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a single match. A hat trick, as it is known in its current form, culminates with fans throwing hats onto the ice from the stands. The tradition is said to have begun among fans in the National Hockey League around the 1950s.

    There are several conflicting legends of how the "hat trick" was popularised in professional hockey. In the 1940s, a Toronto haberdasher used to give free hats to players with the Toronto Maple Leafs when they scored three goals in a game, which introduced the "Hat Trick" expression into the world of hockey. The list of winners includes legendary players such as Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull from the Chicago Blackhawks, Syl Apps and Charlie Conacher from the home-town Toronto Maple Leafs, Norm Ullman from the Detroit Red Wings, and many others. I like the hat idea better than the octopus fans used to throw onto the ice in Toronto. That made a sticky mess!!

    Nancy.

  • thinman
    10 years ago

    I always had some vague idea that hat trick had something to do with pulling a rabbit out of a hat -- very tricky and most people can't do it. I won't be a bit surprised if I find out that that was a hare-brained idea.

    TM

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Picturing lots of white and not snow.

    Cynthia

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    lol - no, TM - no rabbits!!! Though they might like the playing surface.

    Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for the most hat tricks in a career with 52.
    A natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three consecutive goals, uninterrupted by any other player scoring for either team.
    The NHL record for fastest natural hat trick is 21 seconds, set by Bill Mosienko in 1952 for the Chicago Blackhawks.
    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 (Howe himself only recorded two in his career). While this description has remained popular, it does not satisfy the conditions of a traditional hat trick. Gordie was not a nice player, and by jiminy, he did not play by the rules.
    A player accomplishes a DC hat trick by scoring the third goal as part of an overtime shootout. Typically only goals scored in regular play count towards earning a hat trick. Its called the DC hat trick because it began with the Washington Capitals.

    Nancy.

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ah Cyn - I missed your post - why, yes, there is a lot of white, and it isn't on the ground.

    Nancy.

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    10 years ago

    I have never been able to figure out the game. Mind you I haven't tried very hard LOL.

    Annette

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    No, I have never understood it either. At one point, I tthink someone told me it was kind of like baseball, but man, it just seems boring to me and very hard to follow. It's just not right! (haha)

    Cynthia

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I heard it was sort of like baseball....lol.

    Nancy.

  • thinman
    10 years ago

    Oh, I get the bowling reference now, by Jiminy, thanks to all of your contributions. I don't know yet why the hat trick got it's name. It wouldn't have anything to do with a bowler hat, would it?

    TM

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    10 years ago

    Well right or wrong I'm thinking Cricket, the hat thing, a guess, taking off one's hat as a tribute to.....?

    Annette

  • mnwsgal
    10 years ago

    I go along with cricket and think the term came from a three cornered hat.

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I heard it was sort of like baseball....lol.

    Nancy.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    Haha for sure, Nancy. Are you trying to tell me I was bamboozled about it being like baseball? Giggling out loud here.

    Yes, I agree-Cricket. I used to watch people play at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford Pa. Never watched a whole game though. Always thought the men looked quite handsome in their whites. :)

    Cynthia

    This post was edited by cyn427 on Sun, Feb 9, 14 at 8:46

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    {{gwi:596878}}
    There, I believe you all have it now!! Yes, it was cricket. HH Stephenson was the first cricketer to be awarded a hat for taking three wickets in consecutive balls, the origin of the hat-trick. He performed the feat for the All-England Eleven against the twenty-two of Hallam at the Hyde Park ground, Sheffield in 1858. A collection was held for Stephenson (as was customary for outstanding feats by professionals) and he was presented with a cap or hat bought with the proceeds. Why they bought a hat, and what kind was is lost to history. Hat-tricks are very rare in cricket and as such are treasured by bowlers. In Test cricket history there have been just 40 hat-tricks, the first achieved by Fred Spofforth for Australia against England in 1879. In 1912, Australian Jimmy Matthews achieved the feat twice in one game against South Africa. The only other players to achieve two hat-tricks are Australia's Hugh Trumble, against England in 1902 and 1904, and Pakistan's Wasim Akram, in separate games against Sri Lanka in 1999.
    A hat-trick occurs in association football (soccer) when a player scores three goals in a single game. In common with other official record-keeping rules, goals in a penalty shootout are excluded from the tally.
    For Bobbie's DH - In Scrabble, a hat-trick occurs when a player plays three consecutive bingos.
    And btw, the bowler hat has nothing to do with cricket!

    So, for everyone!!

    Thanks for playing. I am now off to ponder Cynthia's (tough) question. And see you all next week.

    Nancy.

  • cyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
    10 years ago

    That is great! I can just imagine the awarding of the hat. Heehee. Thanks for the stars and the fun. You do come up with the best questions!

    Cynthia

  • thinman
    10 years ago

    So it has nothing to do with a bowler hat, but everything to do with a bowler's hat. Got it. A fine piece of trivia.

    Thank you, Nancy.

    TM

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    (Blush) Why thank you!!

    Nancy.

  • mnwsgal
    10 years ago

    Thanks for the stars and interesting trivia. So, did Matthews get two new hats or was that tradition no longer in play?

  • midnightsmum (Z4, ON)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Now Bobbie - that is a good question and I have no idea -I shall have to research that!

    Nancy.

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