Page 22 - aruba-today-20190129

A22 SPORTS
Tuesday 29 January 2019
Easy as 1, 2, 3:

Hat tricks on the

rise this season

By PAT GRAHAM post-expansion low of 2.57
DENVER (AP) — In keeping goals per game for teams
with hockey tradition, a tip in 2003-04, before a lockout
of the cap to honor Alex led to rule changes.
Ovechkin and Patrik Laine . Naturally, hat tricks figure to
They've each recorded a go hand-in-hand with the
hat trick of hat tricks this escalation.
season. "It's exciting and not some-
Easy as one, two, three. Or thing everyone has done,"
so it may seem. said Nashville forward Aus-
Around the league, there tin Watson , who had his
have been 61 hat tricks first NHL hat trick on Nov. In this Jan. 22, 2019, file photo, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin skates past the San
through the first 770 games 25 against Anaheim. "It's a Jose Sharks bench as he celebrates his goal for a hat trick in the third period of an NHL hockey
of the season — the most cool achievement." game in Washington.
since 1995-96 (62), ac- Long associated with crick- Associated Press
cording to research by et and soccer, the term
the NHL stats and informa- hat trick appears to have and of course the "Gordie do," said Minnesota for- As for why there are so
tion department. Leading made its way into the main- Howe" (a goal, assist and a ward Jason Zucker, who many hat tricks this season,
the surge are Ovechkin of stream hockey vernacular fight). had a hat trick on Nov. 9, Zucker has a simple deduc-
Washington and Laine of when a Toronto business- The achievement of a hat 2017. "Scoring any goal in tion.
Winnipeg with three each. man offered a hat to any trick has long been cel- this league is a hard thing "It's the speed. It's the skill.
Hold on to your hat, there's player who scored three ebrated with fans tossing to do. To do three in one It's the sticks, the way guys
more: There has been at goals during an NHL game their hats on the ice. Ever game is pretty incredible." shoot pucks now," Zucker
least one three-goal scorer while visiting his town. As wonder where all those Ovechkin had two in a four- explained. "Guys don't
in 10 of the 13 days leading the legend goes, Chicago hats go? The Avs, for one, day window this season, even have to try to shoot
into to the All-Star break. forward Alex Kaleta went donate the caps to the while Laine had a pair over pucks — the sticks do a lot
"I think the reason why," into the shop in 1946 and Denver Rescue Mission. a six-day span, including a of the work for us."
Avalanche forward Mikko found a fedora he fancied, The fastest NHL hat trick five-goal game on Nov. 24. No need to convince Min-
Rantanen succinctly sur- according to an NHL.com took just 21 seconds by Avalanche captain Ga- nesota's All-Star goaltender
mised, "is because scoring story . Only, he didn't have Chicago's Bill Mosienko briel Landeskog gave his Devan Dubnyk of that.
around the league is up." the funds to purchase it. (1952). The most in a ca- first hat trick on Nov. 11, "Teams are discovering
Simple, yes. But on target, The business owner offered reer? Wayne Gretzky, who 2017, against Washington ways to create chances
too. to give it to Kaleta free of had 50. Ovechkin has the the royal treatment. He has and figure how pucks ac-
There have been 132 in- charge should he score most of any active player the puck in a case with the tually go in the net and not
stances of a team scoring three goals against the Ma- with 23. game sheet and a picture. just thinking if you throw 50
six or more goals in a game ple Leafs. They're far from common — He said he doesn't have his pucks at the net that you're
so far, which is the most Kaleta had four. Presto, a this year's total of 61 so far is puck from the second one, going to score a bunch of
since 2005-06. Teams are hat trick. just 8 percent of all games. which happened a month goals," Dubnyk said. "It's
averaging 3.03 goals per These days, hat tricks come The Great One needed later. understanding how to cre-
game, which is on pace in a variety of forms. There's 1,487 games to get his 50. "I don't think guys are go- ate offense. You can see it
for the highest-scoring sea- the natural one (three All the increased scoring ing out there trying to score throughout the league this
son since the 3.14 in, you straight goals by a player), means the feat may some- hat tricks," the All-Star Lan- year. There's a lot of offen-
guessed it, 1995-96. There traditional (any three goals, day lose a bit of its luster. deskog said. "Guys are go- sive creativity and it's mak-
has been an 18 percent in- sometimes culminating But not yet. ing out there trying to help ing it tough for defenses
crease in scoring since the with a late empty-netter) "It's a pretty hard thing to the team win." and tough for goalies."

Longtime San Francisco Giants owner Peter Magowan dies

By JOSH DUBOW success over the last quar- civic-minded ballclub that million free agent deal the game.
AP Sports Writer ter-century. represented the spirit of even before he formally Magowan stepped down
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pe- "During a tenuous period San Francisco. The foun- completed the purchase following the 2008 season
ter Magowan, the lifelong for the franchise, Peter dation created under his of the team. but had put in place the
Giants fan who formed the stepped up and led the direction helped make the With the game's greatest management team that
ownership group that kept group that purchased the Giants the model club they slugger in place, the Gi- helped bring San Francisco
the team in San Francisco Giants and kept them in remain today." ants went on to have great its first World Series title in
with a sparkling waterfront San Francisco," commis- Magowan helped form success and Magowan put 2010, followed by champi-
ballpark, died Sunday after sioner Rob Manfred said. the ownership group that together a plan to build a onships in 2012 and '14.
a battle with cancer. He "With groundbreaking vi- bought the franchise for privately funded ballpark The Giants made the play-
was 76. sion, he then guided the $100 million from Bob Lurie on the water in downtown offs four times in Magowan's
Magowan was a fan ever effort that resulted in a in December 1992 to keep San Francisco. That park, 16-year tenure running the
since going to games at ballpark that became a the team from moving to the first in years built with- Giants, including a trip to
the Polo Grounds in New landmark for the city. In his Tampa Bay. One of his first out direct public funding, the World Series in 2002 be-
York and then played a 16 seasons of leadership, moves was signing Barry opened in 2000 and be- fore losing in seven games
critical role in the team's Peter oversaw a winning, Bonds to a six-year, $43.5 came one of the jewels of to the Angels.q