Matthews' Hat Trick Breaks Cap-Era Record Held By Former Sharks Fan Favorite

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored his sixth hat trick of the season, breaking former San Jose Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo's single-season record for most hat tricks during the salary cap era.

Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews scored his sixth hat trick of the season, breaking former San Jose Sharks forward Jonathan Cheechoo's single-season record for most hat tricks during the salary cap era.

Matthews also tied Pat LaFontaine for the most hat tricks by a U.S.-born player, with 13 in his career.

Against the Anaheim Ducks, Matthews scored goals 46, 47, and 48 on the season in just 52 games. 

Matthews passes Cheechoo's cap-era record of five hat tricks in a single season, set during the 2005-06 season. Cheechoo finished the season with 56 goals and won the Rocket Richard trophy. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45cfxWhkb-I[/embed]

Although he moved away at a young age, Matthews is a San Francisco Bay Area native. He was born in San Ramon, about a 45-minute drive from the SAP Center. 

Matthews has a hat trick in back-to-back games for the second time this season. He is the first player to do that in NHL history since Wayne Gretzky did it during the 1983-84 season.

Gretzky holds the record for most hat tricks in a single season with ten. He did that twice in his career. First during the 1981-82 season and the 83-84 season.

The chase to 70 goals for Auston Matthews is officially on. Nobody has scored 70 goals in a single season since 1992-93, when Teemu Selanne and Alexander Mogilny each scored 76 goals.

Sharks fans won't forget Cheechoo's 56-goal season, but given the way Matthews has scored this season, it was only a matter of time before this record was broken. 

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