Montreal Canadiens centre Alexandre Texier of St. Martin D’Heres, France made National Hockey League history on Thursday by becoming the third native of France to record a hat trick. Texier accomplished the feat in an impressive 6-2 Canadiens win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
Inside look at the three goal game
Texier’s first goal was the game-winning goal. It came at 13:41 of the second period from defenseman Alexandre Carrier of Quebec City, Quebec and centre Nick Suzuki of London, Ontario. At the time, it put the Canadiens up 3-1. Texier then put the Canadiens up 4-1 from defenseman Mike Matheson of Pointe-Claire, Quebec. Texier’s hat trick completed the scoring with 50 seconds left in the third period. Left winger Sammy Blais of Montmagny, Quebec and Joe Veleno of Montreal, Quebec had the assists.
Who were the other two French NHL players with a hat trick?
According to Hockey Reference, they are Paul MacLean of Grostenquin, France and Antoine Roussel of Roubaix, France. MacLean had eight career hat tricks. Seven of the hat tricks came with the original Winnipeg Jets, and the eighth NHL hat trick came with the St. Louis Blues. In a rather bizarre hat trick on March 24, 1990, MacLean scored thrice in a 9-3 Blues loss to the Los Angeles Kings. It was the second time in McLean’s career that he had a hat trick in his team’s loss. The first time came in a 10-8 Jets loss to the Detroit Red Wings on November 25, 1987.
Roussel had his hat trick on February 18, 2017. It came in a 4-3 Dallas Stars win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Texier’s 2025-26 NHL statistics
Texier has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points in 30 games with the Canadiens and Blues. He is a +6 with six penalty minutes, one game-winning goal, 45 shots on goal, three faceoff wins, seven blocked shots, 27 hits, four takeaways, and 12 giveaways.
Recently joined the Canadiens
Texier has not been with the Canadiens for long. He signed as a free agent with the Canadiens on November 23. It was a struggle for Texier with the Blues this season as he only had one point in eight games.
Leading the Atlantic Division
With the win, the Canadiens lead the Atlantic Division. They have a record of 25 wins, 13 regulation losses and six losses in extra time for 56 points. They have the same number of points in the division as the Detroit Red Wings.
