Shane Doan and the 10 Best Players to Never Score a Hat Trick

It may come as a surprise to many of you that Phoenix Coyotes captain Shane Doan, one of the most distinguished power forwards currently in the NHL, has never netted three goals in a game. 

The 35-year-old winger has amassed 300 career goals in 1,132 games, putting him at the top of the list of those who have scored the most regular season goals without a hat trick.

Doan is joined on that list by several highly talented players, some still in the league and others long retired, who frequently found the back of the net but have never managed to light the lamp three times in a single night.

Here are the 10-best players in NHL history who have never scored a hat trick. 

Todd Marchant

After six seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, center Todd Marchant finally hung up the skates this summer at the age of 38. 

He spent the majority of his NHL career as a shutdown forward, but Marchant did enjoy some success in the offensive zone earlier in his career, including a 60-point campaign with the Edmonton Oilers in 2002-'03 that included 20 goals. 

In 1,195 career games played, the speedy pivot registered 186 goals and 498 points while being among the fastest skaters and best defensive centers in the game. He failed, however, to net three goals in a single game. 

Ron Sutter

Drafted fourth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1982, Ron Sutter wrapped up his NHL career with the Calgary Flames in 2000-'01.

He never lived up to his draft pedigree, but Sutter carved out a career as a serviceable and consistent secondary scorer at the NHL level, tallying a career-high 59 points with the Flyers during the 1985-'86 season.

He played a total of 1,093 regular season games in the NHL, netting 205 goals and accumulating 533 points during that time. Despite his several 40-plus point seasons, though, he never scored a single hat trick.  

Darcy Tucker

Most recently a member of the Colorado Avalanche, Darcy Tucker played his last NHL game in 2010. 

Tucker, who developed a reputation around the league as a pesky agitator, was a highly capable scorer during the prime years of his career. He registered a career-high 28 goals and 61 points in 74 games as a Toronto Maple Leaf in 2005-'06. He also put up 24 goals the following season. 

In 947 career games, Tucker potted 215 goals and a whopping 1,410 penalty minutes. The gritty winger never buried three pucks in the same night, however. 

Scott Niedermayer

Though he was a defenseman, Scott Niedermayer was always a factor on the scoresheet and will go down in history as one of the best offensive defensemen to ever play the game. 

He began his career with the New Jersey Devils, where he spent 12 seasons before signing on with the Anaheim Ducks in 2005. After five successful campaigns with the Ducks, including an impressive 69-point season in 2006-'07, Niedermayer called it a career in the summer of 2010.

The Edmonton native played a total of 1,263 games in the NHL and amassed 740 points, 172 of which were goals. Hat tricks by a rearguard are very rare, but it's hard to believe a player as offensively gifted as Scott Niedermayer never pulled it off over the course of his long NHL career.    

Brad Richards

More of a playmaker than a goal scorer, Brad Richards is more than capable of putting the puck in the net when called upon. 

So far, Richards has played 785 games in the NHL and has scored at just under a point-per-game pace during that time, with 726 points and 224 goals. He tallied a career-high 28 goals as a Dallas Star last season.

Richards, who's just 31 years old, still has plenty of time to score his first hat trick before his career is done. For now, though, he's undoubtedly one of the top players without a hat trick in the history of the game.  

Milt Schmidt

Milt Schmidt began his NHL career with the Boston Bruins in 1936 and played with the organization until he retired in 1955. 

Over the course of his career, he surpassed the 50-point mark four times and hit 60 points twice. He also reached the 20-goal mark four times, including a career-best 27-goal campaign in 1946-'47. 

Schmidt played 776 games in the NHL and lit the lamp 229 times. The skilled center never pulled off a hat trick, however.  

Mike Sillinger

The 11th player drafted in the 1989 NHL entry draft, Mike Sillinger spent the first four years of his career with the Detroit Red Wings before embarking on a tour around the NHL that saw him suit up for 12 different clubs in 16 seasons.

He retired in 2008 after a brief stint with the New York Islanders, where he potted 40 goals over two seasons with the team. 

Sillinger played 1,049 games in the league and amassed 240 goals and 308 assists for 548 points. In all his years in the NHL, he ever managed to net three goals in a game. 

Brian Leetch

Brian Leetch is widely regarded as one of the best defensemen in NHL history. He began his career with the New York Rangers in 1987 and went on to score a mind-boggling 102 points in 80 games during the 1991-'92 season. 

The ultra-talented blueliner hit 20 goals five times in his career and was consistently among the league's leading scorers despite being a defenseman. 

In 1,205 games played, Leetch registered 1,028 points and scored an impressive 247 goals. Despite the incredible success he enjoyed in the NHL, he never scored a single hat trick.  

Larry Murphy

Another legendary defenseman with a reputation as one of the greatest puck-moving rearguards in the history of the game, Larry Murphy established himself as a top-flight player during his rookie season with the Los Angeles Kings in 1980. He amassed 76 points in 80 games that year at the ripe age of 19.

Murphy spent 20 seasons in the league with six different teams, hanging up the skates for good in 2001 after a 21-point campaign with the Detroit Red Wings.

With 287 goals and 1,216 points in 1,615 games played, Murphy is easily one of the best players to never score a hat trick in league history.  

Shane Doan

Shane Doan is rapidly approaching the end of his career, but the aging winger is still among the league's top offensive threats. In 13 games this season, he has four goals and six assists for 10 points. 

Doan has tallied 30 goals in a season twice and has surpassed the 25-goal mark seven times throughout his distinguished NHL career. 

In 1,132 games played in the league, he has buried the puck 300 times, cementing his position as the best scorer without a hat trick to ever play the game.

Sam Kelly is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @samkelly10.