Since the year of the stock-market crash of 1929, only one Toronto (Arenas) Maple Leafs defenceman has ever scored more than 3 goals in a game. That of course was Ian Turnbull on Feb. 2nd, 1977, who scored not 4 but 5 goals vs. Detroit. Every shot on net that Turnbull took that night went in.
This is also the record for goals by a defenseman, held by Turnbull alone.
Only five other defensemen have managed 4 goals in a game. Turnbull and Harry Cameron are the only to do it twice.
Only 5 times in the past 92 years has a Toronto defenceman scored a hat-trick in a RS game (8 times if you count Red Kelly -- NHL.com lists him as a defenceman, but of course he was mainly a forward in Toronto).
It’s Salming’s fault: the time for defensemen to score hattricks was in the 70s and 80s and Toronto’s star defenseman only managed once.
Three or more goal games by a defenseman since 1929 per team:
Anaheim Ducks: 3
Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes: 2
Atlanta Flames: 1
Boston Bruins: 15 (Orr 9)
Buffalo Sabres: 7
Calgary Flames: 4
California Golden Seals: 2
Carolina Hurricanes: 4
Chicago Blackhawks: 5
Colorado Avalanche: 1
Colorado Rockies: 1
Columbus Blue Jackets: 3
Edmonton: 5 (Coffey 3)
Dallas Stars: 3
Detroit Red Wings: 8 (Reed Larson 3)
Florida Panthers: 1
Hartford Whalers: 1
Los Angeles Kings: 5
Minnesota North Stars: 2
Minnesota Wild: 2
Montreal Canadiens: 7
Montreal Maroons: 2
Nashville Predators: 1
New Jersey Devils: 1
New York Americans: 1
New York Islanders: 5 (Denis Potvin 4, Jean Potvin 1)
New York Rangers: 9 (Brad Park 3)
Ottawa Senators: 1
Philadelphia Flyers: 2
Pittsburgh Penguins: 3
Pittsburgh Pirates: 2
Quebec Nordiques: 2
San Jose Sharks: 1
St. Louis Blues: 4
Tampa Bay Lightning: 2
Toronto: 6 (incl. Boothman vs Boston in 1944)
Vancouver Canucks: 1
Vegas Golden Knights: 1
Washington Capitals: 2
Toronto does not necessarily look that bad compared to other teams, despite their head start. Defensemen only scored hattricks eight times in the 30s and 40s combined. Between Dec 21, 1944 and December 8, 1966, zero defensemen scored a hattrick.
NHL hattricks by defensemen per decade:
1910s: 5
1920s: 13
1930s: 4
1940s: 5
1950s: 0
1960s: 3
1970s: 32
1980s: 27
1990s: 20
2000s: 15
2010s: 16
2020s: 5
Calendar years without a D-man hattrick: 1921, 1923, 1925, 1927-28, 1930, 1935-39, 1941, 1946-66, 1969-70, 1987, 1997, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2012.
(Edit) Note: This may be full of oversights on my end, but
here’s the source.