how long is a typical NHL hockey game?

[RedAngie]

I was at one where the Zamboni broke down. The driver was plump & he was frantically trying to repair something underneath, but he couldn't fit. Thought my dad's friend would wet his pants he was laughing so hard

I saw a Zamboni break down, but it was in the old World Hockey Association. After unsuccessfully trying to repair it , they brought in a big pickup truck. First they tried towing it, but that didn't work. So the truck pushed it off the ice instead. Fortunately they had a backup Zamboni, but the fiasco delayed the game by at least an hour.

A few things can really mess things up. I've heard of a game delayed when the mascot got stuck rappelling from the rafters. One game I saw on TV was delayed due to a lighting malfunction. When they determined it would take a long time for the lights to come back, they actually took an early break, continued the remainder of the second period (a bit over 3 minutes), and then immediately started the third period.

The 4th game of the 1988 Stanley Cup finals had to be cancelled when the lights went out in Boston Garden and couldn't be restored. I think it was still in the second period with the score tied. The game was replayed in its entirety a few nights later in Edmonton.

I vaguely recall a few instances where the small remaining part of a period was tacked onto the beginning of the next period. Usually due to a large bench clearing brawl late in the period.

 

[Klayfish]

I grew up a hard core hockey fan, Philadelphia Flyers specifically. Played hockey in high school. I remember being a teenager and trying to stay away for the 1987 game between the Islanders and Capitals. That went what...4 OT I think, and ended at some ridiculous hour.

 

[Marchand63]

I saw a Zamboni break down, but it was in the old World Hockey Association. After unsuccessfully trying to repair it , they brought in a big pickup truck. First they tried towing it, but that didn't work. So the truck pushed it off the ice instead. Fortunately they had a backup Zamboni, but the fiasco delayed the game by at least an hour.




The 4th game of the 1988 Stanley Cup finals had to be cancelled when the lights went out in Boston Garden and couldn't be restored. I think it was still in the second period with the score tied. The game was replayed in its entirety a few nights later in Edmonton.

I vaguely recall a few instances where the small remaining part of a period was tacked onto the beginning of the next period. Usually due to a large bench clearing brawl late in the period.

And then there are the fog games. Bruins in 88, that delayed the game don't remember how long.

 

[RedAngie]

I grew up a hard core hockey fan, Philadelphia Flyers specifically. Played hockey in high school. I remember being a teenager and trying to stay away for the 1987 game between the Islanders and Capitals. That went what...4 OT I think, and ended at some ridiculous hour.

Yes, that's true, but as a hard core Flyers fan, did you forget the Flyers vs Penguins in the 2000 quarterfinals? One of the games went into a 5th OT before the Flyers won.

 

[RedAngie]

And then there are the fog games. Bruins in 88, that delayed the game don't remember how long.

I think that was the game that had to be cancelled when the lights went out.

I mostly remember the two games in Buffalo in the 1975 Finals. A bat flew out from the rafters in the first game.

 

[declansdad]

ITA we played last night & although we lost, happy it was that close. Long season still ahead.

 

[bcla]

Please see my avatar, how many hockey games have you been to ? We are at hockey at least four or five nights a week Between him playing and Having season tickets I think those of us who've actually been to a lot of games can give good advice

I dunno. Been to a few NHL games over the years, but never a season ticket holder. Mostly watch on TV. Seemed like a 7:30 start time meant it was over around 10. I wasn't aware that time moved differently in person vs watching on TV. Must be due to the cold air or something.

 

[Marchand63]

I dunno. Been to a few NHL games over the years, but never a season ticket holder. Mostly watch on TV. Seemed like a 7:30 start time meant it was over around 10. I wasn't aware that time moved differently in person vs watching on TV. Must be due to the cold air or something.

 

[declansdad]

I dunno. Been to a few NHL games over the years, but never a season ticket holder. Mostly watch on TV. Seemed like a 7:30 start time meant it was over around 10. I wasn't aware that time moved differently in person vs watching on TV. Must be due to the cold air or something.

 

[bcla]

The 4th game of the 1988 Stanley Cup finals had to be cancelled when the lights went out in Boston Garden and couldn't be restored. I think it was still in the second period with the score tied. The game was replayed in its entirety a few nights later in Edmonton.

I vaguely recall a few instances where the small remaining part of a period was tacked onto the beginning of the next period. Usually due to a large bench clearing brawl late in the period.

This references the game I saw:

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2016/10...t-to-early-intermission-power-outage-san-jose

The NHL cited the rule on their Twitter feed:

These types of lamps won't restart until they cool down, and take time to get up to full output.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, that's true, but as a hard core Flyers fan, did you forget the Flyers vs Penguins in the 2000 quarterfinals? One of the games went into a 5th OT before the Flyers won.

Certainly not, I was watching that one too. But I only brought up the Caps/Pens game because I was a 15 at the time, so that game went WAY past my childhood bedtime. It was one of those experiences as a kid you don't forget.

I actually worked at a fancy restaurant in downtown Philly in the mid-late 90's when I was in college, as a valet. I met so many of the local sports starts of the day, including most of the Flyers...they came in often. It was cool. Lindros wasn't the nicest guy in the world, but I'd never tell him that to his face, he was a BIG dude.

 

[soccerdad72]

So, the consensus of everyone is about 2 1/2 hours, unless a mascot gets stuck, the power goes out, a Zamboni breaks down, a shootout goes 17 rounds, fog encompasses the ice or a meteor hits the arena. At which point, all bets are off.

 

[bcla]

So, the consensus of everyone is about 2 1/2 hours, unless a mascot gets stuck, the power goes out, a Zamboni breaks down, a shootout goes 17 rounds, fog encompasses the ice or a meteor hits the arena. At which point, all bets are off.

Cleanup after a hat trick, or the occasional octopus on the ice.

This clip says something about the Ducks mascot jumping through a ring of fire in an ATV, which then caught on fire.

I looked it up, and the average game time is 2 hours, 20 minutes.

 

[RedAngie]

This references the game I saw:

http://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2016/10...t-to-early-intermission-power-outage-san-jose

.

So this was very recent...thanks for the info. I hadn't heard about it.

The part about goalies changing ends between the resumed period and the next reminds me of something. At that Zamboni breakdown game I witnessed, the ice got really chopped up near one of the goals during the incident. They did the best they could to smooth it out, but it was still rough. For the third period, it was announced that the teams would switch ends at the next stoppage of play past the 10 minute mark of the period. A player on the team defending the substandard side of the rink intentionally iced the puck to insure a stoppage at about 9:55 left in the period.

 

[RedAngie]

Cleanup after a hat trick, or the occasional octopus on the ice.

I looked it up, and the average game time is 2 hours, 20 minutes.

And those damn plastic or rubber rats Florida Panther fans threw on the ice in the 1996 playoffs.

And in the Philadelphia Flyers' Broad Street Bullies days, games often lasted 3 hours or more due to numerous flights and penalties.

 

[wilkeliza]

Cleanup after a hat trick, or the occasional octopus on the ice.

This clip says something about the Ducks mascot jumping through a ring of fire in an ATV, which then caught on fire.

I looked it up, and the average game time is 2 hours, 20 minutes.

Not that any of the stuff that was added in to make it over about 2:30 happens pretty often. Hat trick clean up usually don't take that long and the one I've experienced they just cut to the commercial break a little early so it caused no additional game time.

 

[bcla]

Not that any of the stuff that was added in to make it over about 2:30 happens pretty often. Hat trick clean up usually don't take that long and the one I've experienced they just cut to the commercial break a little early so it caused no additional game time.

Where's the fun if there's no mention of the absurd? Nobody mentioned officials replay though. I've seen some painfully long replays, where they must have watched it a dozen times before coming to a conclusion.

NHL hockey does seem to be the most predictable of all major North American sports for game time. There aren't frequent clock stoppages like with football or basketball, and even replay seems to generally be quick.

 

[wilkeliza]

Where's the fun if there's no mention of the absurd? Nobody mentioned officials replay though. I've seen some painfully long replays, where they must have watched it a dozen times before coming to a conclusion.

NHL hockey does seem to be the most predictable of all major North American sports for game time. There aren't frequent clock stoppages like with football or basketball, and even replay seems to generally be quick.

True it is fun to discuss but still doesn't answer what a typical game is. A typical NHL game is somewhere between 2:20-2:45 3 hours being the absolute worst typical I've experience and 3 leans into the going long and people start to leave the stadium (at least around here cuz trains to catch and all).

 

[declansdad]

Where's the fun if there's no mention of the absurd? Nobody mentioned officials replay though. I've seen some painfully long replays, where they must have watched it a dozen times before coming to a conclusion.

NHL hockey does seem to be the most predictable of all major North American sports for game time. There aren't frequent clock stoppages like with football or basketball, and even replay seems to generally be quick.

All the televised sports are pretty predictable, they have to be for the TV broadcast.

 

[bcla]

True it is fun to discuss but still doesn't answer what a typical game is. A typical NHL game is somewhere between 2:20-2:45 3 hours being the absolute worst typical I've experience and 3 leans into the going long and people start to leave the stadium (at least around here cuz trains to catch and all).

I've only watched in San Jose, which is right across the street from the San Jose Diridon train station. I don't the Amtrak schedule works well for a night game. The last Amtrak Capitol Corridor train leaves at 9:10, but they still advertise it. Caltrain says that they will try to run a hockey train up to San Francisco at least 15 minutes after the end of the game, but leaving 10:30 PM at the earliest and 10:45 at the latest. The last time I went to a game, I took Caltrain in, but took a bus back since I stuck around after an OT game.

http://www.capitolcorridor.org/blogs/get_on_board/san-jose-sharks/
http://www.caltrain.com/riderinfo/specialevents/sanjosesharks.html

They also allow personal consumption of alcohol on Caltrain. But there's a cutoff time on an event day (Sharks or Giants). I hear some people are denied entry to games because they completely wasted.

All the televised sports are pretty predictable, they have to be for the TV broadcast.

Maybe I've been watching the outliers. As an Oakland A's fan, I remember how fast pitcher Mark Mulder would work. Games he started were often under 2 hours. The joke going around was that beer concessions hated him since they had to cut off sales at the middle of the 7th inning. His turn also seemed to always come up on fireworks night, where the start time was usually earlier than usual. By the time the game was over, we'd often be waiting 45 minutes just for it to get dark enough for fireworks.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2005-06-20-quick-pitchers_x.htm

The St. Louis Cardinals' Mark Mulder, the 15th-fastest worker, says he takes perverse delight in pitching on fireworks nights, finishing the games before it's dark enough for the pyrotechnics.

"There were a couple of years there in Oakland where I think I pitched every fireworks night. Our PR people would always come down before the game and say, 'Hey, not too quick tonight,' " Mulder says with a smile. "I'd go, 'Hey, I'm making it a two-hour game.' "​

I've also been watching Cal football games, where most games this season seem to be in ESPN's 7:30 PM Pacific time slot. For whatever reason, a bunch of these have gone over four hours, with one (several OTs) even finishing around midnight. Could be brutal for anyone taking public transportation.

Hockey seems to have the least clock stoppages, save soccer. A foul fest in basketball can drag a game for a long time with all the whistles and free throws.