How Long Are Hockey Game: Game Length Facts

How Long Are Hockey Games?

So, you’re curious about how long a hockey game lasts? It’s a fantastic question, and the answer isn’t always as simple as saying “exactly this many minutes!” Like many sports, hockey has a set amount of playing time, but the overall game time can be longer due to breaks and other things. Let’s dive into all the details so you know exactly what to expect when you tune into a game or head to the rink.

The Standard Time: Three Periods of Action

At its core, a hockey game is divided into three main parts called periods. Each period in professional and major junior hockey is 20 minutes long. These 20 minutes are for actual playing time where the clock is running. However, the clock stops whenever the play stops, this could be because of penalty, when the puck goes out of play, or a goal is scored! This means, even though each period is meant to have 20 minutes of playing, the actual time it takes for a period to complete, and the game itself, always goes longer.

Breaks Between Periods: The Intermission

After each period, there’s a break called an intermission. This is a time for the players to rest, coaches to talk strategy, and the fans to grab snacks or visit the restroom. In most professional leagues, like the National Hockey League (NHL), intermissions last 15 to 18 minutes. These breaks are important for the players because hockey is a very fast and demanding sport, and they need time to recover and re-energize before they continue to battle for the win! We can also see that the break between the second and the third periods is a little longer than that between the first and second.

These intermissions aren’t just for rest. They’re also a crucial part of the game experience. They allow for the ice to be resurfaced, ensuring it is smooth and fast for the next period. This is done with a machine that is often called a Zamboni, which can sometimes be interesting for fans to see and observe.

The Clock Stops: Understanding Game Time

The clock in hockey is pretty unique because it doesn’t always run straight through. It stops every time the play stops. Here’s a closer look at some situations when the clock freezes:

• Goals: Whenever a goal is scored, the clock pauses so the players can celebrate and the officials can mark the score.
• Penalties: When a player commits a penalty, the clock stops so that the officials can deal with the situation accordingly. This can take a couple of minutes depending on the severity of the penalty.
• Puck Out of Play: If the puck is shot out of bounds or goes to an area it cannot be played from, the clock stops.
• Injuries: In the unfortunate event of an injury, the play is stopped to allow the player to get medical attention.
• Icing: In hockey, icing occurs when a player shoots the puck from behind their own side of the center red line all the way to behind the opponent’s goal line, without it touching another player. This also stops the clock.
• Face-offs: To start play or restart after a stoppage, there will be a face-off. The clock stops for this, until the puck is dropped, and two players compete for control.

All these stoppages, though sometimes short, add up to a longer total game time than just the 60 minutes of regulation time that you’d get from adding up all three periods (20 minutes x 3).

Total Game Time: Beyond 60 Minutes

Considering the 20-minute periods and the intermissions, plus the various clock stoppages, how long does a typical hockey game last? A professional game, like one in the NHL, usually takes about 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. This can vary slightly, of course. Games with many penalties or other stoppages tend to run a bit longer. Even if the game doesn’t go to overtime, the breaks can add around 45 to 60 minutes to the 60 minutes of total play time.

What Happens When The Score is Tied?

Sometimes, when the game is at the end of the final period, the score is tied, that means that neither of the teams have a lead. In this scenario, the game does not end, because in professional hockey it is very rare to get the result of a tie. So when a tie occurs at the end of three periods, something called overtime takes place. The duration of an overtime period can vary depending on the level of play.

Overtime in Professional Hockey

In the NHL during the regular season, if a game is tied after the three regular periods, the teams play a 5-minute overtime period. This overtime period is also called a sudden-death overtime, meaning that the first goal wins the game. Also, in the regular season in the NHL, only three skaters and a goalie from each team will be out on the ice, instead of the usual 5 skaters and a goalie. So this creates more open ice, and makes the game much more exciting for fans. If no goal is scored in this overtime period, the game then goes to a shootout.

Overtime in Playoff Hockey

When we talk about the NHL playoffs, or other major professional league playoffs, the rules for overtime change dramatically. The overtime periods become 20 minutes long instead of 5, and the overtime period doesn’t have a shootout at the end. It’s still a sudden-death format, meaning the first goal wins the game, but this overtime format can go on for a long time. There have been situations in playoff hockey games where overtimes have gone on for several 20-minute periods, until someone finally scores. In some cases, this can make the total length of the game well over 3 hours long!

Shootouts

As mentioned, if a regular season game is still tied after the initial 5 minute overtime, the teams go into a shootout. This is when each team sends a skater to go one on one against the opposing goalie. Each team sends a skater at a time, until one team scores and the other does not. Whichever team wins the shootout, wins the game. This format is very exciting for fans to watch, and can sometimes go on for a while if the goalies are playing very well!

How Long Are Games at Different Levels of Hockey?

The length of a hockey game can also vary based on the level of play. For example, a hockey game for younger kids will be much shorter than that of a professional adult game. Lets look at the differences:

Youth Hockey

For younger players, like kids in peewee or bantam leagues, the periods are shorter. They might only have 10, 12, or 15 minute periods, with shorter intermissions as well. This is because younger players don’t have the same stamina as older players. The total game time for a youth hockey game is often around an hour to an hour and a half. This makes sure the kids don’t get too tired while also providing the experience of a competitive game.

High School and College Hockey

High school and college hockey games are generally a bit longer than youth games. Periods are often 15 to 20 minutes, with intermissions lasting about 10 to 15 minutes. These games might last about 2 to 2.5 hours in total, including intermissions and all the stoppages in play.

Adult Recreational Leagues

If you’re playing or watching adult recreational hockey, the rules on periods and intermissions are often similar to professional hockey, with 20-minute periods and 15-minute intermissions. However, some recreational leagues might have shorter periods to fit within specific time slots at the ice rink. Also, recreational leagues are less likely to have a proper overtime if the game goes into a tie. This will usually end in a tie result, because they will need the time slot for the next game.

Factors that Affect Game Length

Several factors can make a hockey game longer or shorter than average. These include:

• Number of Penalties: More penalties mean more stoppages, which adds time to the game.
• Injuries: Serious injuries can result in extended stoppages while medical personnel respond.
• Equipment Issues: A player might break their skate blade or need to adjust their equipment during the game.
• Many Goals Scored: If many goals are scored, there can be more frequent stops in the game.
• Challenges and Reviews: Coaches can challenge plays, which can result in stoppages, and increase the overall length of the game

These factors mean that the final length of a game can be unpredictable! You might go into a game expecting 2.5 hours, but it might stretch closer to 3 hours due to several events happening during the game itself.

Why the Clock Matters: Understanding “Game Time” vs “Real Time”

It’s also really important to understand the difference between “game time” and “real time”. “Game time” is the amount of time that the clock is running during the game. For a standard hockey game, this is always 60 minutes. On the other hand, “real time” is the actual length of the game. This time is usually much longer, as we know, it takes into account all stoppages, intermissions, and everything else. This means that although a hockey game is meant to be 60 minutes in game time, it’s almost always 2.5-3 hours long in real time.

Using Game Time Effectively

Understanding the way that the clock works in hockey is very important. During the last few minutes of each period, the clock management by the teams can become an important factor. For example, teams that are leading will want to make sure they keep possession of the puck, and not allow the opposing team to score, and teams that are trailing in the score will want to pressure the other team, and create goal scoring opportunities. The way that coaches manage the players and use the game time in each period can greatly affect the overall outcome of the game, especially at the end of the game.