NHL games average approximately 2.5 to 3 hours in duration.
Ever wondered about the time commitment when you settle in to watch some hockey? The question of ‘how long are NHL games on average’ often pops up for fans and newcomers alike. It’s a valid point since planning your evening or schedule hinges on knowing the game’s timeframe.
Many factors affect how long a game will last. Overtime periods and penalties, for example, can extend game time. Despite these variable elements, the overall timeframe tends to stay within a specific range.
How Long Are NHL Games on Average?
Alright hockey fans, let’s get right to it! You’re probably wondering, “Just how long will I be glued to my seat watching an NHL game?” The quick answer is: a bit over 2.5 hours. But, like a good hockey game, there’s more to it than just that. Let’s dive into the details of what makes up that time and what can sometimes make games run longer.
The Standard Game Length: What’s on the Clock?
The official playing time of an NHL game is always the same: 60 minutes. This is divided into three periods, each lasting 20 minutes. Sounds simple, right? But of course, there are always intermissions and other stoppages that stretch out the real time. Here’s a breakdown:
- Three 20-Minute Periods: This equals 60 minutes of actual gameplay. The clock stops when the puck isn’t in play (more on this later).
- Two Intermissions: After the first and second periods, there’s a break for the players to rest, and for the Zamboni to do its magic. These intermissions are typically around 17-18 minutes long.
So, if you just add up the period time and the intermission time, it looks like around an hour and a half. Then why are NHL games more than two and half hours long on average? Let’s explore the factors that pad out the time.
The Time-Outs That Make the Difference
While the clock does stop on any break in play, there are also specific time-outs in the game that add up to the total game time, these include:
Team Time-Outs
- One time out per team per game: Each team can call one time-out during a regular game.
- Length of time out: A time-out lasts one minute.
Commercial Breaks
Commercial breaks are a reality of televised sports. When there is a stoppage in play, that’s the perfect opportunity to show advertisements. The duration of these breaks varies slightly, but they add significant minutes to the total game time. These commercial breaks also cause the game clock to stop. You’ll see these breaks:
- During intermissions
- During TV timeouts, which occur usually after a whistle for an icing, offside, or penalty.
- After goals.
Commercial breaks are designed to keep you informed (and entertained!) about various products and services. While they can feel like they interrupt the flow of the game, they are an essential part of sports broadcasts.
Stoppages in Play: When the Clock Stops
A big part of why NHL games take longer than 60 minutes of playing time is that the clock stops frequently. Here are some of the common reasons why the game clock will stop:
Puck Out of Play
- Leaving the playing surface: When the puck goes out of the playing area, that stops the clock.
- Hitting the net: When the puck goes out of bounds, the clock stops.
Face-offs
Face-offs are the way play resumes after a stop. These take a little time, as the players must line up correctly, and then the puck needs to be dropped, which takes some precious seconds of the game clock that add up over time.
Penalties
- Referee’s stoppage: When the referee sees a penalty happen, they stop the play, and the clock stops.
- Penalty administration: Time is also needed to determine the type of penalty and hand out the penalty to the respective players, all while the clock is stopped.
Goals
When a team scores a goal, the clock stops. Usually the stop is short, but also there are sometimes reviews that happen, and that causes more stoppages and add more time to the total game length. These little bits of time each time add to the overall length of a game.
Injuries
If a player gets injured, play is immediately stopped, and the clock stops, to allow for players to get medical attention, and that could add a few extra minutes to the game depending on the type of injury sustained by the player.
Icing
When a player shoots the puck from behind their own blue line and it travels all the way down the length of the ice without being touched by another player, this is called icing, which causes a brief stoppage in play, and the clock stops for these incidents.
Offsides
When a player enters the offensive zone before the puck, this is an offside violation. An offside call results in a stoppage of play, and the clock stops. Then a faceoff is held to resume play, and the game continues from there.
Overtime and Shootouts: Adding Even More Time
Okay, we have covered the length of a regulation game, but what if the score is tied after 60 minutes? In the regular season, that means we’re heading into overtime! In the regular season, the game goes into a five-minute overtime period. The first team to score wins. But what happens if there are no goals in the five-minute overtime? That’s when we move into a shootout!
Overtime
- Regular Season: The overtime period is five minutes of three-on-three hockey, meaning that there are only 6 players on the ice at once, which makes the game much faster and more exciting.
- Playoffs: In the playoffs, overtime is a full 20-minute period of five-on-five hockey, and they keep playing as many overtimes as it takes to find a winner.
Shootouts
- When? Shootouts happen if the score is still tied after overtime in the regular season.
- How it works? Teams take turns sending out one player to take a penalty shot on the opposing goalie. The team with the most goals wins the game.
- Time? Shootouts add a little time to the game, but usually only a few minutes as each team only gets 3 shots, unless it remains tied after 3 rounds, then the shootout goes to sudden death where they keep shooting until there is a winner.
The addition of an overtime period or a shootout definitely increases the total time of a game. While both regular season and playoffs have overtime, the lengths of those overtimes are different.
Factors Affecting Game Duration
While the standard NHL game is around 2 hours 30 minutes long, many different factors can change the total length of a game, for example:
The Number of Penalties
A game with a lot of penalties means more stoppages and longer breaks between plays, meaning longer game times, which means your hockey game might run past the average duration if the penalty box is busy!
The Number of Goals
Each time a team scores a goal, the clock stops, the players celebrate, and the broadcast gets an opportunity for a commercial break. More goals can lead to a longer game duration because of these frequent stoppages.
Video Reviews
Sometimes, referees need to review plays on video. For example, they might need to review to determine if the puck crossed the goal line before time expired or was it a penalty? These reviews take time, and they add to the game’s overall duration.
Injuries
If a player is hurt, the game stops, and the players have to attend to the injured player, often that means the game time is extended, sometimes significantly if the player needs to be taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Playoff Hockey
Playoff games tend to be longer in the playoffs because of the stakes, with teams playing a more careful style of hockey which usually leads to more stoppages. Also, in the playoffs, any overtime is a full 20-minute period, and they keep playing until someone scores, which means that playoff games will almost always be longer than regular season games.
Why Knowing Game Length Matters
Understanding how long NHL games last can be helpful for different reasons:
- Planning your schedule: Whether you’re heading to the arena or just watching at home, knowing the average game length will help plan your evening.
- TV viewing: When setting your DVR or tuning into a broadcast, knowing that the game could run a little past its listed time is important to make sure you don’t miss a key moment.
- Travel time: If you’re going to a game, accounting for potential game time variances can be helpful if you’re in a rush to get back home or to another event.
It’s always good to be prepared for a game that may go a bit over the standard time, as it can depend on the circumstances.
So, while the average NHL game takes a bit over 2.5 hours, that’s just an average, sometimes they will be shorter, and other times they may run longer, but no matter how long the game is, you can always count on some good hockey action!
Average NHL Game Experience
Final Thoughts
On average, NHL games last approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, including intermissions. However, this can fluctuate due to overtime periods and penalties. These factors influence the total time it takes to complete a game.
So, ‘how long are NHL games on average’? Typically, plan for around 2.5 to 3 hours. It’s always good to keep a buffer for potential delays. Remember, overtime can make games longer.
