The hat trick in sports often refers to scoring three times in succession. The term hat trick may originate from various tricks performed with a top hat in magic. In a sense the hat trick implies great skill and a little bit of magic to accomplish.

However, the term hat trick in sports has its roots in cricket, where a bowler was given a hat after successfully taking three wickets. Now in cricket, a bowler who successfully defeats three batsmen is thought to have performed the hat trick. It has to be three in a row to be considered a hat trick.

The hat trick migrated to the world of both forms of hockey. It generally meant that a player had scored three times in a game. Thus it didn’t have to be three in a row, but simply three in a game for a player to have successfully completed a hat trick.

The hat trick in soccer is essentially the same as in hockey. A player must score three goals in a game. In soccer, penalty shots do not count as part of a hat trick. Scores have to be made during the non-penalty portions of the game.

Soccer actually defines several types of hat trick. A flawless hat trick in soccer refers to three goals being made by the same player in a single period. The three goals must be scored consecutively for the hat trick to be flawless. If, for example, another player scores a goal in between the three scores by a single player then the hat trick is not flawless.

Another type of hat trick in soccer is the golden or perfect hat trick. This requires tremendous skill to be performed, and is seldom accomplished. According to definition for the perfect hat trick, the player must score three goals: one from the right foot, one from the left and one from the head.

A similar term applied to American football is the “threepeat.” Often the threepeat refers to winning three Super Bowls in a row. Occasionally threepeat may be applied to winning three national or division championships in a row.