First off, how long do hockey games last?
How Long Are Hockey Games? Full Breakdown by Periods & Overtime. The thrilling and fast-paced sport of hockey puts spectators on the edge of their seats.
The duration of a hockey game is a common question among those who are unfamiliar with the sport. Even though most games have a predetermined length, there are a number of variables that can affect how long a game lasts, including overtime, penalties, and timeouts.
Everything you need to know about how long hockey games last—from normal time to overtime and beyond—will be covered in this post.
Knowing how a hockey game is organized will increase your enjoyment of the game and ensure that you don’t miss any thrilling moments. Understanding the specifics of the game’s duration can improve your viewing experience, whether you’re watching from home or at an actual game.
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Structure of a Hockey Game: Recognizing the Periods
Three periods make up a typical professional hockey game. Each of these time periods offers a different flow of action, making them the core of the game. The length of these intervals and the intervals between them define how long a hockey game is overall.
Breakdown of the Period
Each period in a normal hockey game lasts 20 minutes. In other words, when someone says that a hockey game lasts “60 minutes,” they mean the entire amount of time spent playing the game. Nevertheless, this excludes the duration of play stoppages and intermissions. Let’s dissect each time frame:
1. First Period: Both sides try to take control of the game and set the tone for the remainder of it during the first period, which begins the match.
2. Second Period: Teams resume play on the ice for the second period, which is frequently a crucial moment where momentum can change, following a brief break.
3. Third Period: In the most important final 20 minutes, teams attempt to either break the tie or maintain their lead in order to win.
The clock runs for as long as the puck is in play during each of these intervals of continuous play. The clock will momentarily stop during any stoppages for goals, penalties, or timeouts, but each period always lasts 20 minutes.
How Much Time Do the Intermissions Last?
The intermissions that take place in between each period allow the participants a chance to relax and replenish their fluids.
Depending on the league, these intermissions’ duration can vary slightly, but usually speaking:
NHL Intermissions: Players have ample time to rest and prepare for the following period during the roughly 17-minute intermissions.
College and International Hockey: Although they can vary, these typically run between fifteen and eighteen minutes.
Fans can also take advantage of these breaks to eat, rest, and prepare for the next thrilling segment.
The foundation of every game is regulation time.
The 60 minutes of actual play in hockey are divided into three 20-minute blocks during regulation time. However, there are subtleties that can marginally change the real playtime, so that’s not the whole story.
What Takes Place During Each Period?
A hockey game is full of activity, from goals and faceoffs to power plays and penalties. A closer look at each period’s events is provided below:
The First Period: The first period sets the tone for the game.
1. Teams prioritize controlling the puck, generating opportunities, and involving their best players. Teams are vying for supremacy at this season, which can occasionally be the most violent in the NHL.
2. The Second Period: In many games, this is regarded as the “deciding” period. Teams will step up their efforts to take the lead if the score is deadlocked at the end of the first period.
Teams frequently make changes in response to their first-period performance. As players start to feel the impact of the game’s tempo, this phase may also be more taxing.
3. The Third Period: The game usually gets more intense as it draws to a close. A fast-paced conclusion is to be expected if the game is tight. If a team is behind, they may substitute their goalies for an additional attacker. For both sides to maintain their lead or stage a comeback, the third session is crucial.
Hockey Clock Management
With the exception of stoppages, the hockey clock never stops while play is in progress. When the puck is out of play—whether it’s because of a goal, a penalty, or a whistle—the clock stops.
This indicates that, particularly when there are multiple stoppages, the actual game time is frequently longer than the 60 minutes shown on the scoreboard.
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What Takes Place in Hockey Overtime When the Game Is Tied?
The game goes into overtime if there is a tie at the end of regulation. The rules for overtime differ based on the league and the circumstances of the game, but this extra time guarantees a definite winner.
NHL Overtime Regulations
The NHL’s overtime format depends on whether a game is a regular-season or playoff match.
Regular Season Overtime: In a regular-season game, if teams are knotted at the end of regulation, they advance to a five-minute overtime period. The purpose is to boost the likelihood of a game-winning goal and promote quicker play.
Playoff extra: Teams play at full strength (five players per side) throughout the 20-minute extra phase in the playoffs.
More overtime sessions are played until one team scores and wins the match if the game is still deadlocked after one.
How Sudden Death Occurs Over Time
The “sudden death” rule is the most fascinating part of overtime. Accordingly, the game is won by the first team to score a goal in overtime. When a goal is scored, the game is ended regardless of how much time is left.
Shootouts: The Crucial Elements
In a regular-season game, a shootout is used if no goal is scored during the overtime session. In a shootout, three players are selected by each team to try penalty shots.
One player from each side will take shots in a sudden-death shootout if the score is still tied following the first round of shootouts. This process will continue until one team scores and the other does not.
