Hockey, a thrilling and fast-paced sport enjoyed globally, often sparks the question: “How Long Is A Hockey Game?” Whether you’re a new fan or just curious, understanding the duration of a game can enhance your viewing experience. This guide breaks down the typical length of a hockey game, from professional leagues to factors that can influence the final playtime.
Standard Professional Hockey Game Length
In professional hockey leagues like the NHL (National Hockey League), AHL (American Hockey League), and ECHL (East Coast Hockey League), a standard game is structured around 60 minutes of playing time. This is divided into three periods, each lasting 20 minutes. These periods are separated by intermissions, providing crucial breaks for players and ice maintenance.
Periods and Intermissions Explained
A typical professional hockey game format includes:
- Three 20-minute periods: This is the core playing time. The clock stops for stoppages in play, such as penalties, goals, or pucks going out of play, meaning actual game time is longer than a continuous 60 minutes.
- Intermissions: Following the first and second periods, there are intermissions. In the NHL, these intermissions are 18 minutes long. Other leagues might have slightly shorter intermission times. These breaks allow players to rest, coaches to strategize, and the ice crew to resurface the ice, ensuring optimal playing conditions.
The Impact of Media Timeouts
Especially in the NHL, media timeouts are a common feature. There are typically at least three media timeouts per period to accommodate commercial breaks for television broadcasts. These timeouts, while necessary for broadcasting, contribute to extending the overall game duration.
Considering the three 20-minute periods, the two intermissions, and media timeouts, most professional hockey games typically last around two and a half hours or longer from start to finish, even though the actual ice time is only 60 minutes.
Overtime in Hockey: Deciding a Winner
What happens if the score is tied after regulation time? Hockey has overtime rules to determine a winner. The rules for overtime vary depending on the league and whether it’s the regular season or playoffs.
Regular Season Overtime
In the NHL regular season, if a game is tied after three periods, it proceeds to a five-minute sudden-death overtime period. “Sudden death” means the first team to score wins the game immediately. If no goal is scored during this five-minute overtime, the game proceeds to a shootout.
A shootout involves players from each team taking penalty shots alternately until one team scores and the other doesn’t in the same round, or after a set number of rounds according to league rules. The shootout continues until a winner is determined.
Playoff Overtime
NHL playoff overtime is more dramatic. Playoff games tied after regulation go into 20-minute sudden-death overtime periods. Crucially, in the playoffs, if no one scores in the first overtime, they play another full 20-minute overtime period, and continue this process until a goal is scored. This can lead to very long games, sometimes with multiple overtime periods, as teams battle to avoid a tie and advance in the playoffs.
Factors Extending Hockey Game Duration Beyond Regulation
Beyond the standard periods and overtime, several other factors can extend the length of a hockey game:
- Timeouts: Each team is permitted one 60-second timeout per game. While brief, these timeouts add to the total game time.
- TV Commercials and Breaks: As mentioned, media timeouts for commercials are built into professional games, particularly in the NHL, adding to the overall duration. Breaks between periods also include time for broadcasting needs.
- Ice Cleaning: The intermissions are essential for ice resurfacing. Maintaining good ice quality is vital for player safety and game quality, and this process takes time.
- Injuries: If a player is injured during the game, especially if the injury requires them to be helped off the ice, the game clock is stopped, and time is added to accommodate the situation.
- Penalties: Penalties are a regular part of hockey. Minor penalties typically result in a two-minute power play for the opposing team, while major penalties can be five minutes. The time spent on power plays, where the clock continues to run, still contributes to the elapsed game time.
- Video Review: In modern hockey, video replay is used to review goals or major penalties. These reviews can take several minutes and add to the overall game time as referees meticulously check plays.
Hockey Game Length Across Different Levels
While professional games are typically around 2.5 hours, game length can vary at other levels of hockey:
- Youth Hockey: Games are often shorter, with period lengths ranging from 10 to 15 minutes, and potentially shorter intermissions. This is adjusted for younger players’ stamina and attention spans.
- College Hockey (NCAA): NCAA hockey games also consist of three 20-minute periods, similar to professional hockey, although some rules might slightly differ regarding overtime in regular season play.
- International Hockey: Tournaments like the Olympics or World Championships generally follow rules similar to the NHL for game duration, with three 20-minute periods and variations on overtime rules depending on the tournament format.
Conclusion
So, “how long is a hockey game?” The answer is multifaceted. While the standard playing time in professional hockey is 60 minutes, with intermissions and potential overtime, you’re generally looking at around 2.5 hours or more for the total game duration. Factors like media timeouts, injuries, and penalties can all contribute to extending game time. Whether you’re watching a fast-paced NHL game or a local youth league match, understanding these time factors helps you appreciate the flow and excitement of hockey.
