“How long is a hockey game?” is a reasonable question to ask before heading to see one. It takes longer in actual time than the stated amount of minutes played, just like any other sport.
How long does a game of ice hockey last? There are 60 minutes in a regular ice hockey game to play. For leagues like the NHL, however, the real-time game length comes out to be 2.5 to 3 hours when you factor in all of the stops, breaks, and potential overtime.
Let’s examine how long a hockey game really lasts as well as the many components that make up a game, such as warmups, breaks, intervals, and overtime.
How Much Time Does a Real-Time NHL Game Last?
An NHL game consists of 60 minutes of regulation playtime; this also holds true for games played in other professional leagues like the AHL, ECHL, and European leagues.
There are three twenty-minute halves to the game. In the event that there is a draw after regulation, the sides will play five more minutes of overtime; if the score is still tied, a shootout will take place.
This entire game takes two to three hours in real time, not just sixty minutes.
The length of the game can be extended by a variety of factors, including mandatory television timeouts (two each period), intermissions, and play-stoppages caused by rule violations.
How long do game periods often last?
A typical period will last for forty minutes. The difference in duration between the first, second, and third periods is not too great.
Unlike basketball or football, where timeouts cause the final quarter to drag out, a hockey game does not follow this pattern. NHL teams don’t slow down the game because they only have one 30-second time slot every contest.
How long do intermissions last in hockey?
A hockey intermission lasts seventeen minutes. This occurs twice in a typical game. Twice, one in between the first and second periods and one more between the second and third periods.
During this time, the Zamboni cleans the ice and the in-house maintenance team fixes it.
The length of the interval makes it possible to enjoy in-game entertainment, like fan contests on the ice or three- to five-minute games between local youth hockey teams.
Unlike the normal season, where the extra period is only five minutes, the playoffs have twenty-minute overtime periods. Consequently, the third period and the first overtime period of the playoffs are separated by a complete halftime.
What is the duration of the overtime periods?
There isn’t an intermission in regular season games that conclude in ties and proceed to overtime. Following a two-minute intermission, the game resumes. A five-minute 3-on-3 overtime session follows. If a goal is scored in those 5 minutes, the match is definitely ended.
When there are no scores at the end of the five-minute extra period, there is a penalty. This typically takes about five minutes in real life.
Commercial Interruptions
Commercial breaks are a deliberate addition to games in professional leagues such as the NHL, extending the game’s duration. Viewers may experience a longer game due to these pauses, which generate cash for the league and its stakeholders.
Coach’s Questions and Evaluations of Videos
Video reviews can be started by referees and coaches in response to particular incidents, including contentious goals or penalties. The length of the game may be increased by the time spent analyzing and debating these choices.
Length of an NHL Playoffs game
A playoff game that finishes in regulation lasts roughly the same length of time as a regular-season game.
Nevertheless, a shootout cannot be used to determine the winner of a game in the playoffs. Until someone scores, the game merely continues with 20-minute segments (complete with full, 15-minute intermissions).
The majority of NHL overtime games conclude in the first 20 minutes of extra time. However, if there are numerous extra periods played, a playoff game can easily go into real time, lasting four or five hours.
Why are there three periods in a hockey game?
- Early in the 20th century, hockey games were customarily divided into three quarters, each lasting twenty minutes. Hockey games were split into two 30-minute halves prior to 1910. However, there were a number of difficulties with this format, such as the accumulation of ice and snow on the rink’s surface.
- In addition to degrading the quality of play, the persistent buildup of snow and ice presented safety risks because it might cause rusting and player injuries. The necessity to remove the ice at halftime breaks may also cause delays and disruptions in the game’s progress. Hockey icons Frank and Lester Patrick, who are both renowned for making significant contributions to the game, pushed for a change to a three-period format in order to solve these problems. They reasoned that by adding two intermissions in between sessions, the rink could be cleaned more frequently, enhancing its quality and lowering the possibility of accidents.
- Furthermore, because of the physical demands of the game, the introduction of intermissions gave players more downtime. In addition, fans had the chance to visit food stands during the intermissions, which enhanced the entire fan experience and helped the teams make money. The three-period format was standard by the time the NHL was founded a few years later and has been a mainstay of hockey games for more than a century. For both players and spectators, this format not only guarantees ideal playing conditions but also improves the overall experience.
