Juha Leimu, a Finnish defenseman for the Lahti Pelicans, made Finnish Liiga history this week when he scored a natural hat trick in just 44 seconds.
The hat trick was aided by the Pelicans being on a 5-on-3 power play following a pair of game misconducts. They would put in another tally during that power play, giving them four goals in just under 1:50.
It ultimately wasn’t enough, with them falling to JYP 6-5 in the end.
Leimu is Lahti’s leading scorer — thus the gold helmet — and his hat trick sets a record, besting Erkki Suokko’s 50-second hat trick in 1961.
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Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
