I Didn't Lose My Hat For Martin Necas's Hat Trick, And I Will Tell You Why

I will be the first to admit that my love for all things Hartford Whalers is as new as my love of hockey. As a kid, I brushed my teeth during the hockey highlights each morning as I ritually watched Sportscenter.

And boy do I regret missing those highlights. Even though the Whalers were not very good, I didn't know what I was missing in the uniform department. Those 1992-1997 home blues were stellar. Even the all greens should have been cool to miniature me.

What I missed then, I have made up for now. And that gets me to Wednesday's natural hat trick by Martin Necas in Carolina's 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Even though there is precedent for my throwing a new hat (I flung my "new to me" 20th Anniversary promo hand from the 300's for Aho's 5th career hatty last season) I kept my brand new Official League Whale Tails hat. I wasn't about to part with it.

Right out of the box, this thing was perfect. It has a particularly low profile that I really like, and is just structured enough not to look goofy. The bill had a great curve it without any shaping whatsoever. I don't typically do a flat bill hat, and any attempt at getting the right curve on my own has failed in disgrace no matter how many videos I watch online. Topping it off is the retro design with the old Whale logo, and it's a snap back so you don't look like a complete dad or have to worry about it slipping too big.

Only the lady sitting in from of me flipped her lid to Necas Wednesday, and if you were to pick yourself up one of these you wouldn't either. In fact, I think it would take a a double hat trick from Pyotr Kochetkov to get me to let this one sail from anywhere, much less the nosebleeds where I typically sit.