Scoring three goals in one game by a single player Fans typically throw hats on the ice in appreciation A Natural Hat Trick is scoring three goals in a row without intervening goals by any other player
Three goals scored by the same player in a single match Originated in cricket where a player was awarded a new hat for taking three wickets with three balls
(Sports) series of three successive wins; three goals scored by the same player in one game (Soccer; Ice hockey); three wickets taken by a one player in three successive balls (Cricket)
Getting three batters "out" in three successive pitches so called because in the 17th century, a pitcher/bowler who accomplished the feat was rewarded by an immediate bonus, collected by passing a hat among gathered spectators