On Thursday night, Alex Ovechkin notched the 33rd hat trick of his career, this one versus the Montreal Canadiens.
Sitting at 40 years and 64 days of age, he ranks sixth on the all-time list of oldest skaters to light the lamp three times or more within one contest. The only names to manage it later in life belong to Gordie Howe, Jaromir Jagr, Nicklas Lidstrom, Johnny Bucyk, and Teemu Selanne.
The NHL's oldest hat-trick scorers
| Age (yrs-days) | Opponent | Home/Away | Club | Skater | When | | :-- | :-- | :-- | :-- | :-- | :-- | | 42-322 | PHI | vs | NJD | Jaromir Jagr | 2015, Jan. 3 | | 41-216 | PIT | vs | DET | Gordie Howe | 1969, Nov. 2 | | 40-322 | LAK | vs | DET | Gordie Howe | 1969, Feb. 16 | | 40-312 | CBH | vs | DET | Gordie Howe | 1969, Feb. 6 | | 40-296 | LAK | @ | BOS | Johnny Bucyk | 1976, Mar. 3 | | 40-268 | COL | vs | ANA | Teemu Selanne | 2011, Mar. 28 | | 40-244 | WSH | @ | BOS | Johnny Bucyk | 1976, Jan. 11 | | 40-231 | STL | vs | DET | Nicklas Lidstrom | 2010, Dec. 15 | | 40-064 | MTL | @ | WSH | Alex Ovechkin | 2025, Nov. 20 |
Howe, between his 40th and 41st years, racked up a trio of separate three-goal nights, while Bucyk did so on two occasions at 40. When it comes to a first-ever three-goal effort, Lidstrom stands alone as both the oldest blueliner and the most senior skater of any type to pull it off, netting a trio during a 5-2 win over St. Louis on the 15th of December back in 2010.