Your Hat? Yeah, Throw It On the Ice.

Think about the hat trick for a moment. Really think about it. Isn't it a little strange? A player completes a fairly rare feat and the fans throw their clothes on the ice? Fine. I'll give you that they're accessories, but still, shoes could be considered accessories. Would you think it was strange that if every time a hockey player notched his third goal of the game fans bent down, untied their shoes, and hurled one onto the ice?

As is to be expected, the origins of this practice lie in hockey tradition. In the 1950's the Rangers farm team was sponsored by Biltmore Hats. They were even called the Guelph Biltmore Madhatters. If a player ever scored three goals in a single game he was given a hat from the company. The tradition spread to Toronto of the NHL where a local business man decided that he would give a hat from his own shop to each Leaf that managed 3 goals in one game. How that tradition morphed into people throwing their personal possessions on the ice is a little unclear. All anyone really knows is that it just happend. My guess, and the answer to most seemingly unexplainable questions, would be that alcohol had a large part.

Regardless of how we got to this point, ice hockey is still the only sport where throwing things on the playing surface is not only allowed, it's encouraged. I've never seen anyone throw anything onto a baseball field (except batteries), a football field, or a basketball court. Is it because some of them are too far? Maybe. Is it because you'd get kicked out of the stadium? Probably. Either way, it's something that hockey fans have all to themselves - hats, rubber rats, rubber pucks, fish, octopi? Throw 'em if ya got 'em.

This year there have been 17 hat tricks in the NHL so far. Boston, Calgary, and Dallas all have two while the Penguins have three. Last year Scott Hartnell had two and so did Joffrey Lupul. Knuble, Umberger, and Briere each had one. In those games the Flyers outscored their opponents 33 - 16. That's how you win hockey games (even though one of them was a loss....) The Flyers have had a couple 2 goal performances from their big guys this season, but as of yet no one's exploded all over the opposition. I feel one coming on though. And you know who's due? Simon Gagne. If his head can stay attached to his body I can see him notching a hat trick sometime in the next two weeks. His last one was in November of 2005, and his only other one before that was in March 2002. In a game where Eric Lindros also had a hat trick - for the New York Rangers. The guy has 221 goals in his NHL career and only twice has he managed to pocket 3 in a game. It's about time to bury one. Or three.