By the Numbers: Alex Ovechkin’s Hat Trick History

Thursday night, Alex Ovechkin recorded the 18th hat trick of his career, the most in the NHL since the 1993-94 season. That’s right, look it up. Here is the rest of the history of Ovechkin hat tricks by the numbers (all numbers from nhl.com):

• 3: Most hat tricks Ovechkin has in a single season, that coming in the amazing 65-goal 2007-08 season. How amazing? Two of the three hat tricks were actually part of a four-goal night, with Ovechkin picking up a four-spot in an 8-6 win over the Senators in Ottawa on December 29, 2007 and another, including the overtime game-winner, in a 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens on January 31, 2008. He wrapped up his “trick”y season with a regular old hat trick in a 10-2 win over the Boston Bruins on March 3, 2008.
• 10: Hat tricks on the road, the one in Ottawa being the latest
• 3: The number of four-goal games he has among those 18 hat tricks; Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and Montreal were the victims
• 6: The number of instances in which Ovechkin recorded all of his hat trick goals at even strength, one of them a four-goal game against Montreal
• 1: The number of times Ovechkin recorded a hat trick without the benefit of an even-strength goal, all of them coming on power plays. That one came when he scored three power play goals against the Minnesota Wild in a 5-4 win last March 28th.
• 0: The number of shorthanded goals scored by Ovechkin over the course of his 18 hat tricks
• 12: Game-winning goals credited to Ovechkin in his hat-trick games
• 12: The number of teams victimized by Ovechkin in his 18 hat tricks: Anaheim, Atlanta (twice), Boston, Florida (twice), Minnesota (twice), Montreal, New Jersey, Ottawa (three times), Pittsburgh, St. Louis (twice), Tampa Bay, and Toronto
• 3: The most hat tricks against one team, with Ottawa earning that dubious distinction last night
• 18: The number of Caps wins in Ovechkin hat tricks (18-0-0)
• 3: The number of game-winners Ovechkin scored in overtime, one of them scored six seconds after the faceoff to start overtime in Atlanta against the Thrashers on December 15, 2006. Anaheim (in what was his first career hat trick) and Montreal (capping a four-goal game) were the other clubs
• 5: Number of Ovechkin's hat tricks that have come in February, the most frequent month for the feat. He has had a hat trick in every calendar month of an NHL regular season at least once
• 1: Number of October hat tricks, last night's being the earliest he’s done it in any season
• 14: The fewest days between hat tricks; he did it against the Ottawa Senators on February 1, 2009, and then he repeated the feat on February 15, 2009 against the Florida Panthers
• 57: The total number of goals scored by Ovechkin in his 18 hat trick games; 39 at even-strength and 18 on power plays