The term was coined by a 1950s New York sportswriter, although Howe himself accomplished the feat only twice in his five-decade career.
"[2] The first known Gordie Howe hat trick was achieved by Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman Harry Cameron of the Toronto Arenas on December 26, 1917, in a 7–5 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
A Gordie Howe hat trick that included a player's first NHL goal occurred on November 19, 2014, when Steve Pinizzotto was called up by the Edmonton Oilers and he made his 2014–15 season debut against his previous team, the Vancouver Canucks.
[13] Doug Risebrough of the Montreal Canadiens became the first NHL player to register a Gordie Howe hat trick on consecutive days, on February 15 and 16, 1975, both games against the Chicago Black Hawks.
The all-time leaders in Gordie Howe hat tricks are Rick Tocchet with 18 and Brendan Shanahan (who would later become the NHL's chief disciplinarian) with 17.