Hat-trick facts for kids
A hat-trick is a cool term in sports! It means that a player or team does something amazing three times in a single game or event. For example, a player might score three goals, or a bowler might take three wickets. It's a special achievement that fans love to celebrate!
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The History of the Hat-Trick
The idea of a "hat-trick" started way back in 1858 in the sport of cricket. A famous bowler named H. H. Stephenson was playing a match and managed to take three wickets (which means getting three batsmen out) with three balls in a row!
Fans were so impressed that they collected money to buy him a brand new hat as a prize. That's where the name "hat-trick" comes from! The term was first written down in a newspaper in 1865. Over time, other sports like hockey, association football (soccer), water polo, and team handball started using the term too.
Hat-Tricks in Different Sports
The meaning of a hat-trick can be a little different depending on the sport. Let's look at how it works in some popular games.
Association Football (Soccer)
In association football, a hat-trick happens when one player scores three goals during a single game. These goals don't have to be scored one after another. If a player scores two goals in a game, it's called a brace.
Baseball
In baseball, the term "hat-trick" has changed over the years. Long ago, it sometimes meant a player struck out (missed the ball three times) three times in a game.
But these days, when you hear "hat-trick" in baseball, it usually means a player has hit three home runs in one game! That's a really exciting and rare achievement.
Cricket
In cricket, a hat-trick is when a bowler gets three batsmen out with three balls in a row. These three balls must be bowled by the same bowler in the same match. It doesn't matter if another bowler bowls an over in between, or if the other team has their turn to bat. Only wickets that are directly caused by the bowler count towards a hat-trick.
Hockey
In both field hockey and ice hockey, a hat-trick means a player scores three goals in a single game. In ice hockey, there's a fun tradition that goes along with a hat-trick: fans often throw their hats onto the ice to celebrate the player's amazing achievement! This tradition is thought to have started around the 1950s.
Images for kids
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Hats on the Verizon Center ice after Alex Ovechkin's hat trick, 7 February 2010
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See also
In Spanish: Triplete (deportes) para niños
