Hockey is the most exciting sport, especially when fans are in the building. A goal can blow the roof off the arena at a moment's notice. Overtime is insane, and it's even better now that the NHL moved to a 3v3 format. This game is incredibly fast and superstar players make the game incredible to watch.
If one goal is incredible, then three goals are even better. When one player scores three goals in one game, it's called a hat trick. When a player lights the lamp that third time, fans throw hats on the ice which are then collected and put into the locker of the player who scored the goals.
Nico Hischier just had his second hat trick of the season. It was the 105th hat trick in franchise history. He's one of 13 players to score multiple hat tricks for the Devils in one season. If he has one more hat trick, he would match the Devils' franchise record for hat tricks in a season with three. He would match Kirk Muller (1987-88), John MacLean (1988-89), and Patrik Elias (2000-01).
While Hischier has two hat tricks this season, he's never had one before, so he's not close to the top of the list for career Devils hat tricks. If he does get a third, he will pass Jack Hughes for sole possession of the active franchise leader in career hat tricks. Hughes hasn't had a hat trick since December 2023.
Who is the New Jersey Devils franchise leader in hat tricks after Nico Hischier scored three against the Minnesota Wild?
The names at the top of the list are probably not a huge surprise. The leader in the clubhouse is Patrik Elias. He's scored eight hat tricks in his long career with the Devils. Elias scored his first hat trick on December 5, 2000 against the Colorado Avalanche. At one point, Elias scored four hat tricks in the 2001 calendar year. They also had a hat trick from Alexander Mogilny that year.
Elias scored his eighth and final hat trick on April 1, 2011. This was no prank, as Elias helped the Devils beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1.
John MacLean is second on the list with six hat tricks and Kirk Muller is third with five. That's not a surprise since both were playing in the run and gun era of the 1980s.
Both Hischier and Hughes have a long way to go before they take this record from Elias. Other active players with a hat trick on the Devils include Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and Timo Meier. There's a lot of time for them to reach that potential. Elias didn't score his fit hat trick until he was 24 years old. Hughes is still 23 years old and has two hat tricks already.