In the exciting world of hockey people, the most common queries arise how long is a hockey game? Whether you are a pro seasonal fan or a newcomer knowing the game’s length matters.
Because it helps to understand the dynamic of the game or schedule their time so they can enjoy their favorite game hockey without any interruption.
Hockey is a popular global sport, especially the National Hockey League (NHL). In this team game, players skate on ice rinks with specific lines and rules, making a fast-paced and thrilling game. But because of various causes, the duration of each game differs.
So, Let’s analyze hockey’s duration in depth to know how long each game takes, as well as some of the factors that affect the length of the game.
How Long Is An NHL Hockey Game?
An NHL game takes 2.5 hours normally to complete a game. But the actual playing time includes 60 minutes and is divided into three periods of 20 minutes each.
However, there are other factors that extend the duration of hockey such as overtime, penalties, and intermission. So, if you are planning to watch NHL Game then there is nothing surprising in this if it will take 3 hours of yours to complete a full game.
Because the exact timing of how long an NHL game last is not fixed. But you can take an estimated time between 2hours 10 minutes to 3 hours for games and schedule your time according to this if you plan to watch hockey.
How Long Is A Field Hockey Game?
The official playing time of field hockey is 60 minutes. The game consists of three periods of 20 minutes each. However, if you see it in real-time it will take 2 to 3 hours to complete due to other factors such as warmup, intermissions, time-wasting by players and injuries, etc.
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How Long Is A College Hockey Game?
A College hockey game normally lasts around 2 hours. Which consists of 3 periods of 20 minutes, with 15 minutes intermission between each period.
In case of overtime, the hockey game will extend up to 5 minutes. However same as in other hockey games duration of the hockey game can vary depending on the factors such as timeout, injuries, and overtime play. Like hockey, the length of a baseball game can also vary and is not fixed.
Why Do Hockey Games Take Longer To Complete?
There are several reasons why it will take longer to complete the hockey games. So, Let’s take a look at the most common reasons which increase the time of hockey games.
Intermission
There are two intermissions in a hockey game, each lasting 15 or 18 minutes. This gives chances players to rest and strategize for their next. During this time period, fans like you and me can get food and drinks to enjoy the exciting next period of the game.
Overtime And Shootouts
In an ice hockey game if the game is remained tied after three periods, then overtime and Shootouts methods are used to determine a winner. But if you watch different leagues then you can find the duration of overtime and shootouts can vary, it depends on the league.
In the NHL (National Hockey League) there is a 5-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period for a regular season match. If there is no score made by any team, then the game proceeds to a shootout which adds additional 10 minutes to the game. In a shootout, each game selects three players to take one-on-one shots against the opposing team’s goalie. In the shootout which team score are declared as the winner of the game.
However, in playoff games, there are no shootouts. The team will continue playing their games until one of them team scores and win the game.
Stoppages In Game
As we know that along with the fast-paced game, hockey is also a physical game. This means there is the possibility of a number of stoppages during the game. These include:
- Penalty
- Injuries
- Fights
- Timeouts
- Warm up and Cool Down
There can be more, and these types of stoppages can increase the time of Hockey.
Commercial Timeouts
While watching hockey on Television you can see some commercial ads, which also long hockey games time. Though that is kind of irritating, what else we can do?
Just like an intermission, there are three fixed media timeouts per period. This second is used by networks to show commercials and generate revenue. These ad breaks are expected to be 45-120 seconds and every four minutes from the beginning.
But it is important to note this timeout is different from the timeout which team call. Plus, there is no commercial timeout during overtime and shootouts.
Similarly, other physical sports like soccer also have factors that can make the game time uncertain, such as injuries, stoppages, and overtime periods. However, the estimated length of a regulation soccer game is around 90 minutes. But in real how long a soccer game will take is not fixed.
How Many Periods Are In Hockey?
The Hockey game is divided into three periods. The number of periods can vary which depends on the level of play. At the professional level, such as the NHL there are normal three periods, and the period of a hockey game lasts for 20 minutes with 15 minutes intermission.
So, tell me how many minutes is a full-length hockey take? This means the official time of the hockey game last is 60 minutes.
How Long Is A Hockey Period?
In the hockey Game, the actual playing game time of Hockey is divided into three periods and each period consists of 20 minutes, including intermission.
How Many Intermissions In Hockey?
There are two and four intermissions in a hockey game depending on whether a game goes into overtime or a shootout. Otherwise, normally two intermissions take place in every game.
The first intermission takes place between the first and second periods and the second one is between the second and third periods.
How Long Are The Intermissions Between Periods In Hockey?
In the NHL (National Hockey League) there are two intermissions between periods and each intermission lasts 15 to 18 minutes in hockey.
How Long Is Overtime In Hockey?
The length of overtime depends on the league and the stage of the competition. So, how long the hockey game last also depends on which league are you going to watch or watch.
In NHL there is 5 minutes overtime period of 3-on-3 hockey. In the ECHL, the overtime period has been changed to seven minutes for 2019-20. In IIHF play, the overtime rule is depending upon the stage of the competition.
But in most cases, the overtime period of hockey is for 5 minutes. So, don’t think too much about how long hockey games are. Because the duration of hockey depends on various factors, but you can fix your 3 hours if you plan to watch and enjoy Hockey.
How Many Hours Does A Hockey Game Last?
Hockey games normally last around 2.5 to 3 hours. This includes 1 hour of playing time in regulation, as well as the time for stops, intermission, potential overtime, commercial breaks, etc.
How Long Do Other Hockey Games Last?
In international play, hockey games are also played for 20 minutes with 15 minutes of intermission between periods.
However, overtime is longer in international games. In the Olympics, the overtime period is 20 minutes long, and if the game is tied the shootout will be used to determine the winner.
See the list of other popular hockey leagues below:
| League Name | Length of Game | Intermission |
| American Hockey League (AHL) | 60 | 15-18 min |
| National League (Swiss) | 60 | 15 min |
| East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) | 60 | 18 min |
| Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) | 60 | 17min |
| Swedish Hockey League (SHL) | 60 | 18 min |
| Ontario Hockey League | 60 | 15 min (1st in), 18 min (2nd in) |
| Western Hockey League | 60 | 18 min |
How Many Minutes Is A Full-Length Hockey Game?
A full-length hockey game normally has 60 minutes of playing times of regulation and it will be divided into three periods consists of 20 minutes. The additional factors such as overtime, penalties, injuries, etc. can increase the length of time of hockey up to 2hrs to 3hrs (in minutes 120 minutes to 180 minutes).
How Long Is The Average Hockey Game?
The average time of hockey is around 2hrs to 3hrs including intermissions in each period, stoppages, and commercial breaks. The playing time for hockey is 60 minutes, which is divided into 3 parts of 20 minutes each.
Is Hockey Played In 2 Or 3 Periods?
Hockey is played in three periods consists of 20 minutes each with 15-minute intermission between periods.
How Long Does An Ice Hockey Game Last?
An ice hockey last 60 minutes of gameplay divided into 3 periods. Each period consists of 20 minutes. But at the time of practice, it will take some extra time due to overtime & shootouts, injuries, commercial timeout, etc.
If A Hockey Game Starts At 7PM, What Time Will It End?
If a hockey game starts at 7 PM then most probably the game will end between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM.
How Long Is A Hockey Game- The Final Answer
The official timing of the gameplay is 60 minutes, divided into 3 periods including 15 minutes intermission. However, in real the game duration will extend up to 2hrs to 3hrs due to various factors such as overtime, injuries, fouls, TV breaks, etc.
With the dynamic nature of the game and these external factors, each hockey game has its own unique timeline, which adds to the excitement and unpredictability of the sport.
