Hockey is also very popular all over the world. Most games were played in quarters or halves, but hockey is played in periods.
This article provides complete information and covers how overtime influences a game’s usual rules. How many of these periods do NHL games have? Are the periods all the same length of time? Is overtime a period? How many canadian teams are in NHL?
Table of Contents
How Many Periods Are in a Hockey Game?
Hockey always has three periods at the professional level. There are also three periods at the NHL level, each lasting 20 minutes of play. Each period in Recreational and youth hockey is 15 to 20 minutes.
Is there a 4th period in hockey?
No, there is no fourth period in hockey. If the game is tied after three periods, it goes into an extra-short period.
In the regular season, overtime is five minutes, but in the playoffs, it changes to 20 minutes in sudden death.
Overtime seems like the extra period in hockey but it isn’t considered the fourth period. It is normally called ‘overtime’
Overtime play counts towards player and goalie stats, just like it does during regular game time. Since overtime is an extension of the regular game, its results are also visible in the stats.
If a goal is not scored in the standard single overtime period, most leagues end the game with a shootout. There is no shootout period and it runs without any clock.
Unlike overtime, shootout goals and saves do not count in the regular stats of shooters and goalies, separate shootout stats are kept. But the shootout only decides the final winner of the game.
When did the NHL start 3-on-3 overtime?
The idea of using 3-on-3 overtime was adopted by the NHL on June 24, 2015. This rule was applied in the 2015-16 NHL season.
The League adopted the rule for high-scoring matches so that there is more scoring and fewer games end in shootouts. In the NHL playoffs, there is no 3-on-3, but there is 5-on-5 sudden death overtime until one team scores. Playing 3-on-3 overtime in the NHL has created more offense for two reasons: the NHL ice surface is large, and there is more room on the ice.
When did the NHL go to 4-on-4 overtime?
The National Hockey League (NHL) used 4-on-4 overtime during the 1999-2000 season. The overtime changed many times over the years to make these competitive games more exciting and enjoyable. This overtime format continued 2015-2016 when the NHL adopted a 3-on-3 system.
Why does hockey have 3 periods instead of 4 quarters?
This system has been in use since the beginning, in the first games breaks were necessary to maintain the quality of the ice, so there were 2 intermissions between 3 periods. Today it has become a tradition in hockey. How Long is an average hockey game?
All this has been done to make the game exciting, in hockey there are 3 periods because in the beginning the games are played in two halves of 30 minutes. Later this system is changed to make the game more manageable.
Has hockey always been three periods?
No, hockey has not always been played in three periods.
Before 1910:
Hockey games were played in two 30-minute halves.
1910 to 1911:
The National Hockey Association (NHA) changed to three 20-minute periods.
In 1917 the NHA was recognized and the National Hockey League (NHL) was launched. The NHL has always followed a 3-period, 20-minute game structure.
An exception to this structure occurs when the game is tied after regulation time. This is how the game operates in sudden-death overtime periods.
Is hockey the only sport with 3 periods?
Yes! You can say that floor hockey and ice hockey are some major sports to have three periods. Other popular sports like football and basketball are played in quarters.
This is because there is no need to maintain any playing surface for football and basketball games. The NHL chooses 3 periods because the ice hockey surface needs to be flooded with a Zamboni machine every twenty minutes.
Key Differences
Aspect | Hockey (Field Hockey) | Ice Hockey |
Surface | Grass/Turf/Indoor Court | Ice Rink |
Ball vs Puck | Hard Ball | Rubber Puck |
Footwear | Cleats | Ice Skates |
Physical Contact | Minimal | High (body checking allowed) |
Popular Regions | South Asia, Europe | North America, Scandinavia |
Why are periods called periods in hockey?
Basketball, football, and soccer games are played in quarters or halves. But hockey is divided into 3 divisions, called “period”.
Here are some points why the period break is necessary.
- Rest & Recovery
- Strategic break
- Maintain Intensity
- Prevent injury
- Improve the game flow
Breaks are the best way to improve the game and build more strategies.
How long is each hockey period?
In standard hockey, the period is 20 minutes long, Pro hockey like the NHL, major professional, minor professional, major junior leagues, and European leagues always play in 20-minute periods.
These teen 20-minute periods are combined to form a total 60-minute game. In professional leagues, there is an intermission that occurs between the end of the first period and the beginning of the second period, and also between the end of the second period and the beginning of the third period.
When did the NHL get rid of tie games?
Pro leagues no longer end with tie games. The NHL abolished the tie game system in 2005–06 and introduced the shootout so that any regular season game that was tied after 5 minutes of overtime could easily decide the winner.
Before 2005 if neither team scored in five minutes, the game would end in a tie and both the teams received one point, whereas the winner would receive two points.
How Do Playoff Overtime Periods Work?
Playoff overtime periods are “sudden death” Overtime means, it will keep running until at least any team can score.
This rule is called sudden death because the game ends as soon as any team can score. Similar to extra time in soccer, multiple goals can be scored during add-on time.
Are playoff overtime periods the same length?
Playoff overtime periods are 20 minutes. If more periods are needed after the first overtime, the intermission is slightly shorter. This intermission is the amount of time it takes for the Zamboni to resurface the ice, rather than a 17-minute break like a regular intermission.
Playoff overtime periods are never called “fourth period” (no matter how many 2,3 overtime periods are used). Extra overtime periods are called “double overtime”, or “triple overtime”. And these are written in short form as 1OT, 2OT, 3OT, etc.
In the regular season, hockey game time is a maximum of 65 minutes (60 minutes of regulation and 5 minutes of overtime), playoff overtime time can be much longer than a standard three-period hockey game.
Long playoff overtime games are not common, but there are a few games in the NHL playoffs every year that go to double or triple overtime.
What was the longest NHL game?
The Philadelphia Flyers won this record-breaking overtime game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals. The longest overtime game in the NHL was the fifth overtime period, which lasted 12 minutes, which is equal to the seven-and-a-half standard periods.
Most professional league games are played only in the standard 20-minute three-period format. The length of periods has been reduced in recreational and youth leagues. Only in playoff hockey, which is played with a sudden-death format, does the game continue after the fourth frame of overtime until one team scores a goal.
Impact of Periods on Player Strategy
The three periods of the hockey game have a great impact on the players’ strategy.
Teams typically adjust their lines and tactics during games to maximize performance and anticipate the opposing team’s strategy.
There are some key factors:
1: Fatigue:
When players start getting tired in the middle of a game, it is important to rest during intermission so that their energy levels are boosted and their performance remains high.
2: Score Situation:
If the team is in the lead then it does not play aggressively and plays defensively, and if the opponent team is in the lead then it is more aggressive and tries to score goals.
3: Penalties:
Penalties have changed the flow of the entire game. Teams have to build their strategy according to match situations. Like power plays or during penalty killing.
Understanding the overall situation of the game and building a strategy accordingly is a successful strategy, which can be beneficial for the entire team.
Penalties have changed the flow of the entire game. Teams have to build their strategy according to match situations. Like power plays or during penalty killing.
FAQ’s
1: How Many Quarters Are in a Hockey Game?
None, Ice hockey is divided into three periods not in four quarters.
2: How Many Periods in Women’s Hockey?
There is no difference. Women’s game hockey is divided into three periods just like men’s game.
3: Is Hockey 3 periods or 4?
Hockey has three 20-minute periods.
4: What is ‘GF’ in hockey?
‘GF’ is “goal for”
5:What is PK hockey?
‘PK’ is “panalty kill”