In a display that has put the forward on yet another level, Auston Matthews has etched his name in NHL and Toronto Maple Leafs history. The 25-year-old star forward has notched back-to-back hat tricks for the second time this season, bringing his total to an astonishing six hat tricks in the current campaign.
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Matthews’s incredible feat marks the most hat tricks in a single season since hockey legend Mario Lemieux achieved the same in 1995-96. While Wayne Gretzky still holds the all-time single-season record with an impressive 10 hat tricks, Matthews’s accomplishment is nothing short of historic.
Matthews has become the first NHL player since Gretzky in 1983-84 to achieve back-to-back hat tricks on multiple occasions within a single season. Furthermore, Matthews now joins an elite club as the 10th player in NHL history to score six hat tricks in a single season, with an awe-inspiring 29 games still left to play.
Maple Leafs Fans Know They’re Watching Something Special in Matthews Run
During the latest game at Scotiabank Arena, Matthews wowed the crowd with an early onslaught, scoring three goals in rapid succession and prompting chants of “M-V-P!” from the ecstatic fans. With a total of 48 goals already this season, Matthews is on pace for a remarkable 75-goal campaign, solidifying his status as one of the game’s best goal-scorers. Should he reach 70 or more, he’s likely to win the Rock Richard Trophy. Whether he wins the Hart Trophy isn’t as clear.
As Matthews continues to pile up the goals, it will be fascinating to see just how many three-goal games he can have. Something suggests he’s not done yet. “I’ve kind of gone through the phase where you’re in awe of Auston,” head coach Sheldon Keefe said. “But this is a new standard for himself. To have a hat-trick and then follow it up again — which is as we know not the first time he’s done this — it’s pretty remarkable.”
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