At the age of 28, and in his 574th game in this league, Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf has finally scored his first career NHL hat trick.
And all it took was one period against the lowly Buffalo Sabres.
Getzlaf scored three times in the opening period of Friday’s game against the visiting Sabres, giving him 10 goals on the season. The video below is of his third goal of the evening. And here come the hats!
The hat trick also put Getzlaf into some elite company, according to the Ducks’ Twitter account.
Getzlaf's first period hat trick joins Teemu Selanne (11/10/97 vs. SJ) as the only player to record three goals in the first period.
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 9, 2013
Getzlaf's four-point period is the tied the club record for most points in a period. It's the fifth time it's been done.
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 9, 2013