In only nine periods of pre-season hockey, the Pittsburgh Penguins have registered two hat tricks thus far in 2024-25. First was Jesse Puljujarvi and, most recently, Evgeni Malkin.
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According to Hockey Reference, the Penguins have collected 230 hat tricks in the regular season and 18 more in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Even though the answer to who owns the record for most hat tricks in franchise history is quite obvious, who are the other players still chasing Mario Lemieux’s mark of 40 hat tricks?
Here’s a look at the top five hat trick collectors in Pittsburgh.
Jaromir Jagr – 9
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First: Feb. 2, 1991
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Last: Mar. 10, 2001
Jaromir Jagr is one of three players on this list who are still actively playing professional hockey. At 53, he’s skating in Czechia and is 33 years removed from scoring his first hat trick in the NHL on Feb. 2, 1991, against the Boston Bruins.
With 766 career goals, Jagr ranks fourth all-time, and his 15 regular season hat tricks rank 38th. Sixty-two percent of his three-goal games came in a Penguins uniform, including his only playoff hat trick against the New York Rangers on May 11, 1996.
Kevin Stevens – 10
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First: Oct. 31, 1989
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Last: Jan. 11, 1994
Kevin Stevens was a two-time 50-goal scorer with the Penguins, winning the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. He recorded 12 hat tricks in his career, including one playoff three-goal game against the Bruins on May 21, 1992.
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His first hat trick came on Halloween in 1989 against the Los Angeles Kings, while his final one in a Pittsburgh uniform came on Jan. 11, 1994 against the Bruins. As a member of the Rangers, his last career hat trick occurred on Nov. 10, 1998.
Evgeni Malkin – 13
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First: Jan. 3, 2008
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Latest: Mar. 27, 2022
Unfortunately, pre-season hat tricks do not count toward a player’s career totals like shootout goals. Thus, Malkin still has 498 goals and is tied with his long-time captain, Sidney Crosby, with 13 three-goal games.
As a 21-year-old, Malkin netted his first hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 3, 2008, and tallied his most recent one on Mar. 27, 2023, against the Detroit Red Wings.
In addition to 13 regular-season hat tricks, Malkin has two in the playoffs, coming in 2009 (vs. Carolina) and 2014 (vs. Columbus). He is one of three players with more than one hat trick in the postseason in team history.
Sidney Crosby – 13
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First: Oct. 28, 2006
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Latest: Nov. 14, 2023
Crosby enters the 2024-25 season with 592 goals and is a lock to reach 600, becoming only the second player to reach the milestone in a Penguins sweater.
Related: 7 Fascinating Statistics About Sidney Crosby’s Career
He is tied with Malkin for the second most hat tricks with 13 but holds a slight lead in overall hat tricks with three playoff three-goal games on his resume.
Sid the Kid’s first hat trick came against the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 28, 2006; his most recent two came against Columbus in 2022 and 2023. In the postseason, Crosby has recorded three-goal games against Washington (2009), Ottawa (2013), and Philadelphia (2018).
Mario Lemieux – 40
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First: Dec. 31, 1985
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Last: Jan. 24, 2001
Lemieux’s first hat trick came on New Year’s Eve in 1985 and was the Penguins’ 55th hat trick. By the time he recorded his last three-goal game on Jan. 24, 2001, it was the franchise’s 158th hat trick—his overall total accounts for 38.8% of the team’s hat tricks from 1985 to 2001.
As of 2024, Lemieux remains the only skater to record five goals in a single game, achieving the feat on four occasions, including once in the playoffs. In addition to 40 hat tricks, he owns the franchise with ten four-goal games, not including those five-goal contests.
Like Crosby, Lemieux had three postseason hat tricks against Philadelphia (1989), Washington (1992), and the New York Rangers (1996). His 40 and 43 hat trick records remain among the hardest to break, as he ranks second to Wayne Gretzky in NHL history, who had 50.
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