Bowen Byram joins exclusive Blackhawks defensemen hat trick club

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Bowen Byram accomplished something rarely seen in franchise history Monday night, scoring a hat trick in a 4-3 preseason victory over the Minnesota Wild. Although preseason statistics don't count in the NHL record book, defensemen rarely score three goals in a game, especially in a Blackhawks sweater.

Bowen Byram Joins Rare Blackhawks Company

During the 2025-26 season, only six NHL defensemen recorded a hat trick: Simon Nemec (New Jersey), Darren Raddysh (Tampa Bay), Evan Bouchard (Edmonton), Mattias Ekholm (Edmonton), Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo), and John Carlson (Anaheim).

In Blackhawks’ history, only six defensemen have ever recorded a hat trick in either the regular season or the playoffs. Because preseason performances are not included in the NHL's official records, Byram's performance unofficially became the first hat trick by a Blackhawks defenseman since Dustin Byfuglien on May 5, 2010. He also has the last regular-season hat trick, almost two decades ago on Nov. 30, 2007.

Since the end of the Original Six era in 1967, Blackhawks fans have seen defensemen record hat tricks about once every 20 seasons. Gary Suter registered one during the 1994 Stanley Cup playoffs on Apr. 24, 1994. His came just three seasons after Hockey Hall of Famer Doug Wilson had one on January 26, 1991. 

Prior to that, Dick Redmond recorded the Blackhawks' final two defenseman hat tricks of the 1970s. His first came on Apr. 4, 1973, and his last on Feb. 12, 1977. Just like Redmond, Doug Hohns recorded back-to-back hat tricks, the last two for Chicago during the Original Six era, on Dec. 8, 1966, and Jan. 19, 1967. 

Historically, the first Blackhawks defenseman to score a hat trick in a game is also the only one to ever record a four-goal game. On Nov. 17, 1956, Jack McIntyre had four of Chicago’s six goals in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.  

Among the Original Six franchises, Chicago ranks last in defenseman hat tricks. The Boston Bruins have 25 hat tricks from 10 players; the Maple Leafs have 25 from 11 players; the Montreal Canadiens have 21 from 13 players; the Detroit Red Wings have 11 from eight players; the New York Rangers have 10 from eight players.

Blackhawks Defensemen Have Waited Decades Between Hat Tricks

It took nearly 30 years for a Blackhawks defenseman to record the franchise's first hat trick, but once the barrier was broken, they tended to come in waves before another lengthy drought followed. Perhaps Byram's preseason performance is another sign that history is about to repeat itself. After all, it's been 19 years since the last regular-season hat trick by a Blackhawks defenseman and 16 years since the last one in the playoffs.