A standard professional hockey game, such as in the NHL, consists of three 20-minute periods, totaling 60 minutes of actual playtime. Between these periods, there are intermissions lasting about 17 to 18 minutes each for rest and ice maintenance
. Including stoppages in play (for penalties, goals, icing, injuries, TV timeouts, etc.) and commercial breaks, the total real-time length of an NHL game typically ranges from about 2 hours and 15 minutes to 3 hours, with an average around 2.5 hours
. If the game is tied after regulation, there is a 5-minute sudden-death overtime period during the regular season, and if still tied, a shootout follows. Overtime and shootouts can extend the total game time beyond the usual duration
. In summary:
- Regulation play: 60 minutes (3 periods × 20 minutes)
- Intermissions: Two breaks of about 17–18 minutes each
- Total elapsed time including stoppages and breaks: Approximately 2.5 hours on average
- Overtime and shootouts can add additional time
Thus, a hockey game starting at 7:00 PM would generally end around 9:30 PM, though this can vary with overtime or delays
