While the Rangers and Devils dispose of what has been tossed, Islanders spokesman Chris Botta said the team places the hats in a bin located near the exit so the fans can try to find them afterward.
NHL spokesman Frank Brown said the Atlanta Thrashers and the Columbus Blue Jackets do have a "Hats From the Heart" program that involves donating hats to children in local hospitals. However, Brown said those teams donate new, clean hats, not the hats thrown onto the ice.
Also, Atlanta, Columbus and the Philadelphia Flyers are among the teams that display some of the hats in the lobbies of their arenas.
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The term "hat trick" dates to 19th century England and the game of cricket. The athletes were unpaid, and a bowler who took three wickets with three straight balls — like three strikeouts in a row in baseball but far less common — was allowed to pass a hat around the audience for a monetary collection.
In the 1940s, a Toronto haberdasher began giving free hats to Maple Leafs players who scored three goals in a game, though there were similar practices in other cities in both the NHL and the minor leagues, including a hat store outside the old Garden at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue.
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