<P> The 16 January 1939 Lethbridge Herald (p. 10) describes a hockey game in which the Lethbridge Maple Leafs defeated the Calgary Stampeders and Jimmie McIndoe of the Leafs "turned the hat trick, when he converted three straight consecutive passes" from a teammate . </P> <P> By 1944, the term "hat trick" was so well established in hockey that the Winnipeg Free Press (29 November 1944, p. 14) reports that "hockey's traditional' hat - trick'--the feat of scoring three goals in a single game--will receive official recognition from the Amateur Hockey Association" of the US by awarding a small silver derby hat to players to mark the accomplishment . Thus, by 1944 the term "hat trick" was common enough to be termed "traditional ." Given how frequently the words "hat trick" were used in sports reporting on cricket and association football in the early 20th century, the term was probably routinely used in hockey by the early 1930s . </P> <P> Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record for the most hat tricks in a career with 50 . Harry Hyland scored the league's first hat trick, in the league's very first game on 19 December 1917, in which Hyland's Montreal Wanderers defeated the Toronto Arenas 10--9 . </P> <P> A natural hat trick occurs when a player scores three consecutive goals, uninterrupted by any other player scoring for either team . </P>

First nhl player to score a hat trick