How Long Does An Nhl Game Last

How Long Does an NHL Game Last?

Okay, let’s dive deep into the exciting world of hockey and figure out just how long you’ll be glued to your seat watching an NHL game. It’s not as simple as saying “60 minutes” and calling it a day. There’s a lot more to it than that. We’re going to break down the different parts of an NHL game, from the three periods of play to the intermissions and all the little things that can add a few extra minutes to the clock.

The Basic Game Clock: Three Periods of Action

At its heart, an NHL game is structured around three periods of pure, adrenaline-pumping hockey. Each of these periods lasts for 20 minutes of playing time. Seems straightforward, right? Well, yes and no. The clock only runs when the puck is in play, meaning that any time the puck leaves the rink, there’s a penalty, or a whistle is blown for any other reason, the clock stops. This is why you see the game clock counting down so quickly when the players are really moving, and then it slows down when things like penalties happen. This means a lot of start-stop action, and a lot of waiting for the ref to get the game going again!

What happens during a stop in play?

When the whistle blows or the puck goes out of play, here are a few common things that happen:

• Face-offs: This is where players gather at a designated spot on the ice, and the ref drops the puck. The goal is to get control of the puck at the face-off, and start a play.
• Penalties: If a player does something illegal, they’ll get a penalty. The type of penalty determines how long the player has to spend in the penalty box, and also what team gets an advantage with more players on the ice for that time. The play will not continue until the penalty is served or the power play situation is over.
• Injuries: If a player gets hurt, the game stops immediately while they receive medical attention.
• Puck out of bounds: If a player shoots the puck out of the playing surface, the whistle blows, and the action stops.
• Icing: When a player shoots the puck from behind their defensive line all the way to the opponent’s goal line without the puck being touched by another player, it is called icing.
• TV Timeouts: These stops happen at specific times during the game to allow for television commercials. They can also happen during injuries, but are normally scheduled.

Intermissions: The Breaks Between Periods

In addition to the three periods of play, there are also intermissions between periods. These breaks give the players a chance to rest, regroup, and get ready for the next period. Each intermission lasts for 18 minutes. So, between each period, the clock stops, and the players head to their locker rooms for a quick rest. This is also the time when the ice crew does their magic to smooth out the ice surface for the next round of action.

The intermission time allows players to catch their breath, discuss strategies, and maybe even grab a quick snack. It’s also the time when fans can stretch their legs, grab some refreshments, or chat about what they’ve seen so far in the game. It’s an important part of the game and helps ensure the players are ready to keep going. You wouldn’t want to see your favorite team completely tired and not be able to keep playing!

How Game Length Adds Up: Beyond the 60 Minutes

Now, let’s put it all together and see how these different parts of the game make up a total game time. As we said before, an NHL game is not just 60 minutes of game play.

Here’s a simple breakdown:

• Three 20-minute periods of play.
• Two 18-minute intermissions.

If the clock ran continuously, this would be around 96 minutes, but that’s not how it works in hockey.

Let’s consider the extra time added because of the puck not always being in play:

• Each of the 3 game periods is a 20 minute period that plays out with the start/stop nature of the game. When a stop in play happens, like the puck going out of bounds, or there being a penalty called, the time stops. This start/stop method of play will naturally add time to each of the 3 game periods. So instead of each of the 3 period taking only 20 minutes, each one takes more than that. So we can say that each period typically takes between 25 to 30 minutes to actually play. This is an estimate as some periods might take even longer.
• The two intermissions also take a consistent 18 minutes each.

This means, an NHL game typically lasts a bit longer than just 96 minutes.

Overtime: What Happens When the Game is Tied?

Sometimes, the score is tied at the end of the three periods. When this happens, the game goes into an extra period called overtime. NHL regular season overtime is a five-minute sudden-death period. That means the first team to score wins the game. If neither team scores during the five minutes, the game goes to a shootout where 3 players from each team get to try to score on the goal, and whoever scores the most goals wins the game. Playoff overtime is different. It’s still sudden death, but instead of being just five minutes long, it’s a full 20 minute period. And if no one scores, they play another full 20 minute period until a goal is scored. So, play off games can potentially go on for a while! If an overtime period happens in a regular season game or playoff game, it will add to the total game time. If the game ends in the first period of overtime or the shootout in a regular season game, the game will end sooner, but if the game goes on for multiple over time periods in a playoff game, the game can last for a very long time.

Impact of Overtime on Game Length

Overtime and shootouts can significantly increase the total length of an NHL game. A regular season game with a shootout might only add an extra 10-15 minutes to the game time (including penalties, face offs, etc during that period). However, in the playoffs, the potential for multiple 20-minute overtime periods can mean that a game lasts for a very long time.

Factors That Can Affect Game Length: Things That Add Extra Time

Several things can affect the total length of a game. It is never as simple as just the periods and the intermissions. It is also important to consider that there are also many variables that can add time to the total game length of an NHL game.

Penalties

When penalties occur, the clock stops. The amount of time on the penalty also increases the total game time. A lot of penalties in a game can make the game quite a bit longer.

Injuries

If a player is hurt, the game has to stop to allow medical staff to attend to the player. These pauses can range from a few minutes to longer, depending on the seriousness of the injury. A very serious injury can even mean having the injured player taken away in a stretcher on the ice, and these types of things add considerable time to the game.

Video Reviews

Sometimes, when a goal is scored, the referees might decide to review the goal to make sure there was no penalty that caused it, or that the puck went completely into the goal. These reviews take time, which is added to the total game time.

TV Timeouts

NHL games, especially those broadcast on TV, have scheduled breaks for commercials, which adds to the total length of a game. It helps pay for the game on tv, but also lengthens the time that a game takes. There are also TV time outs that happen when players take injuries, which also adds to the total game time.

Average Total Time of an NHL Game

Taking all these factors into account, an average NHL game typically lasts about 2 hours and 20 minutes to 2 hours and 45 minutes. Some games can be shorter, while others, especially those with many penalties, injuries or go into multiple overtime periods, can go well over 3 hours.

Game Length Statistics

Although an average game lasts around 2.5 hours, it’s important to remember that there is a lot of variation. Some games with few stoppages and no overtime can finish in just over 2 hours, but games with a lot of penalties, injuries, or with overtime, can easily stretch over the 3 hour mark. This is very true of playoff hockey, where overtime can go on for a long time. The table below shows an estimated average time it takes to play a game:

Remember, these are averages and estimates. The length of a game can really depend on how the game unfolds and what kinds of penalties or injuries occur.

So there you have it! Now you know that while the game clock shows three 20-minute periods, there’s more to an NHL game than just those 60 minutes. From intermissions to penalties to overtime and TV timeouts, a number of things can add time to the total game length. Now you can watch an NHL game knowing roughly how long you’ll be watching all the exciting plays. Enjoy the game!