Last Updated on October 12, 2021 by
In a game of ice hockey, there are three periods lasting about twenty minutes each with two intermissions lasting 15 minutes each. A game of ice hockey can be followed by a 5 minute overtime and a possible penalty shootout if it is tied at the end of 3 periods in a regular season. However, it is a different case at the recreational or amateur level. In recreational leagues, the ice rink is being used for just over 60 minutes in real-time play
Ice hockey is a classic sport, and as a new fan, you should know how the structure of the game works. In terms of gameplay structure and timing, ice hockey is quite different from other team sport like soccer, basketball, and American football. There have been many questions on the number of periods in an ice hockey game. Fortunately, that’s where we come in. In this article, we are going to be talking about the number of periods in ice hockey and every other important detail about the sport. The case is slightly different in playoffs where additional periods of 20 minutes each is added if there’s a tie at the end of regulation until a team scores to end the game.
Why Are There Three Periods And Not Two Halves?
Originally, ice hockey has not always been played in three 20-minute periods. As a matter of fact, this classic sport started with two 30-minute halves with an intermission in-between just like soccer. It is believed that the modification from two 30-minute halves with an intermission in-between to three 20-minute periods started in the early 1900s. It was the establishment of NHA which is a competitor and predecessor to the NHL that brought about the concept of three periods.
The Table Below Is A Real-time Flow Of How The Periods Of Hockey Will Flow At The Professional Level :
| Event | Time |
| National Anthem | 7:00 pm |
| Puck Drop for Start of First Period | 7:05 |
| First Intermission | 7:45 |
| Puck Drop for Start of Second Period | 8:00 |
| Second Intermission | 8:40 |
| Puck Drop for Start of Third Period | 8:55 |
| End of Game | 9:35 |
Additional Periods: Overtime
If a game is tied at the end of regulation periods in a regular-season game, then officials will add an overtime period that lasts only for 5 minutes. Normally, the intermission between the overtime and the third period. The game starts immediately after the end of regulation. If after the 5 additional minutes no team was able to score, then a penalty shootout will be added to decide the winner.
Most Periods Ever In An NHL Game
The Table Below Consist Of The List Of Hockey Games With The Most Overtime Periods Played.
| Home Team | Opposition | Overtime Periods | Date | Score | Total Length |
| Montreal Maroons | Detroit Red Wings | 6 | 24th of March, 1936 | 0-1 | 176:30 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Boston Bruins | 6 | 3rd of April, 1933 | 1-0 | 164:46 |
| Pittsburgh Penguins | Philadelphia Flyers | 5 | 4th of May, 2000 | 1-2 | 152:01 |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | Columbus Blue Jackets | 5 | 11th of August, 2020 | 3-2 | 150:27 |
| Dallas Stars | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | 5 | 24th of April, 2003 | 3-4 | 140:48 |
| Washington Capitals | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 | 24th April, 1996 | 2-3 | 139:15 |
| Vancouver Canucks | Dallas Stars | 4 | 11th of April, 2007 | 5-4 | 138:06 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4 | 23rd of March, 1943 | 2-3 | 130:18 |
| Dallas Stars | San Jose Sharks | 4 | 4th of May, 2008 | 2-1 | 129:03 |
| Montreal Canadiens | New York Rangers | 4 | 28th of March, 1930 | 2-1 | 128:52 |
| Washington Capitals | New York Islanders | 4 | 18th of April, 1987 | 2-3 | 128:47 |
| Buffalo Sabres | New Jersey Devils | 4 | 27th of April, 1997 | 1-0 | 125:43 |
| Detroit Red Wings | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | 27th of March, 1951 | 2-3 | 121:09 |
| New York Rangers | New York Americans | 4 | 27th of March, 1938 | 2-3 | 120:40 |
FAQs
We’ve composed a list of the frequently asked questions and answers to give you a better understanding of the ice hockey game.
How Many Periods In A Recreational Ice Hockey Game?
At a recreational ice hockey level, most games are divided into 3 periods. However, 3-on-3 leagues with shorter allocated time blocks sometimes use two periods. Basically, the time taken to resurface the ice is the major difference between recreational and professional league games. It is only at the start of each game that recreational leagues Zamboni the ice. If not for the fact that the rink surface accumulates a lot of snow at the 3rd period, the real-time won’t be elongated. In recreational leagues, the ice rink is being used for just over 60 minutes in real-time play. However, in professional leagues, the ice rink is being used for just about 120 minutes in real-time play.
How Is Ice Hockey Played?
Ice hockey is a team sport played by two opposing teams on the ice rink. The players skate on the ice at high speeds with ice skates on their feet. They push, shoot or pass a puck around the ice with hockey sticks. The object of the game is to score more points than your opposing team by shooting the puck into their net.
How Many Ice Hockey Players Are On The Ice?
Six players from each team play on the ice at any one time. The lineup is normally; netminder, two defencemen, and three forwards. Substitution can be made at any time during the game. A complete ice hockey team is usually made up of between seventeen and twenty-two players.
Final Thoughts
Just like we said earlier, there are three periods that last for about twenty minutes each with two intermissions lasting 15 minutes each in a game of ice hockey. Officials will add an overtime period that lasts only for 5 minutes if a game is tied at the end of regulation periods in a regular-season game. However, a penalty shootout will only be required if no team was able to score after the 5 additional minutes. We’ve reached the closing chapter of this informative article. We hope you were able to find good resources in your quest to know the number of periods in ice hockey. If you have any questions or comments about the article topic, don’t hesitate to contact us. Thanks
