Overtime (ice hockey)

Overtime is a method of extending an ice hockey game when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods of extending the game are the overtime period (commonly referred to as overtime) and the shootout. Depending upon league rules, the game's winning team may or may not be necessarily determined.

Overtime periods

Overtime periods are extra periods beyond the third regulation period during a game, where normal hockey rules apply. Although in the past, full-length overtime periods were played, overtimes today are sudden death, meaning that the game ends immediately when a player scores a goal.

From November 21, 1942, when overtime was eliminated due to war time restrictions and continuing until the 1983–84 season, all NHL regular-season games tied after 60 minutes of play ended as ties. On June 23, 1983, the NHL introduced a regular-season overtime period of five minutes. If the five-minute overtime period ended with no scoring, the game ended as a tie (the World Hockey Association had used a 10-minute regular season overtime period, as had the NHL prior to World War II). In the first games to go to overtime, on October 5, 1983, the Minnesota North Stars and Los Angeles Kings skated to a 3–3 tie, and the Detroit Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets tied 6–6. The first regular-season game decided by overtime was on October 8, 1983, as the New York Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 8–7.

In 1987–88 and since 1995, the American Hockey League has awarded teams one point in the standings for an overtime loss (OTL). In 1998, the AHL introduced a rule where teams will play the five minute overtime period with four skaters and a goaltender, rather than at full strength (five skaters), except in two-man advantage situations. In a two-man advantage situation, the team with the advantage will play with five skaters against three skaters. The rule was popular and adopted by the NHL and ECHL the next season.

Jaromír Jágr has the most regular season overtime goals with 17.

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, the teams are at full strength (five skaters, barring penalties), there is no shootout, and each overtime period is 20 minutes with full intermissions between overtime periods. Interestingly, three of the game's legendary players, Mark Messier (109 playoff goals), Mario Lemieux (77 goals), and Gordie Howe (68 goals) never scored a playoff overtime goal. Overtime periods are played without commercial breaks.

In many leagues (including the NHL for regular-season games since the 2005–06 season) and in international competitions, a failure to reach a decision in a single overtime may lead to a shootout. Some leagues may eschew overtime periods altogether and end games in shootout should teams be tied at the end of regulation. In the three major North American professional hockey leagues (NHL, AHL, and ECHL), regular season overtime periods are played four on four for one five minute period. In the Southern Professional Hockey League, regular season overtime periods are played three on three for one five minute period, with penalties resulting in the opponents skating one additional player on ice (up to two additional players) for the penalty for the first three minutes, and a penalty shot in the final two minutes.

Shootout

International shootouts

In international competition, shootouts (or more formally, game-winning shots (GWS), and, in some European countries, bullets, or bullits,), are often used. Each coach selects five skaters from their team to take penalty shots one at a time against the opposing goaltender, with teams alternating shots. Each team gets two shot per round. The winner is the team with more goals after six rounds or the team that amasses an unreachable advantage before then (ex. a team gains a twenty-goal lead with only three round left). If the shootout is tied after five rounds, tiebreaker rounds are played one at a time (with each team taking one additional shot) until there is a winner.

In 1998, the IIHF adopted a new procedure for penalty shootouts, with three rounds instead of five. Tiebreaker rounds are still used as needed, and the same or new players can take the tiebreak shots, which is also done in reverse order.

North American shootout

Most lower minor leagues (ECHL, Central, UHL) have featured a shootout where, at the end of regulation, a shootout similar to the international tournament format is used.

However, in 2000, the ECHL adopted the AHL's four-on-four overtime before the shootout.

For the 2004–05 AHL season, the AHL adopted a five-man shootout, which was first used in that league in 1986–87. The standard five-man shootout is used after four-on-four overtime for all minor leagues in North America.

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association is adding the shootout with effect from the 2008–09 season.

Following the lead of minor leagues, as of the 2005–06 season, the NHL ends exhibition and regular season games still tied after a five-minute-length, four-skaters-per-side overtime period with a shootout. The NHL format is a three-round shootout with tiebreaker rounds as needed. All skaters (except goalies) on a team's roster must shoot before any player can shoot a second time.

The shootout is not used in the playoffs for any North American league. Instead, 20 minute overtime periods are used until a single goal is scored.

In the National Hockey League and American Hockey League All-Star Skills Competitions, the competition ends in a penalty shootout known as the Breakaway Relay.

Strategy

Strategy is considered to be very important during penalty shots and overtime shootouts for both the shooter and the goalie. Both shooters and goalies commonly consult their teammates and coaches for advice on the opposing player's style of play. Shooters often consider the goalie's strengths and weaknesses (such as a fast glove or stick save), preferred goaltending style (such as butterfly or stand-up) and method of challenging the shooter. Goaltenders often consider the shooter's shot preference, expected angle of attack, a patented move a shooter commonly uses and even handedness of the shooter.

Most shooters attempt to out-deke the goalie in order to create a better scoring chance. Minnesota Wild forward Mikko Koivu and Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis are examples of players who commonly use this strategy. However, it is not uncommon for a shooter to simply shoot for an opening without deking. This is commonly referred to as sniping. This is most commonly performed when a goalie challenges a shooter by giving them an open hole (by keeping a glove, pad or stick out of position or being out of sound goaltending position altogether to tempt the shooter to aim for the given opening). Former NHL forwards Markus Näslund and Brett Hull are two players commonly referred to as snipers. Very rarely a shooter may take a slapshot or wrist shot from the point or top of the slot. This is almost exclusively performed when a shooter either has a high level of confidence in their shot or they attempt to catch the goalie by surprise. Boston Bruins forward Brian Rolston, Detroit Red Wings winger Todd Bertuzzi, Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger and Vancouver Canucks winger Daniel Sedin have all used this strategy with success.

Notable playoff overtime games

• March 24, 1936: Detroit's Mud Bruneteau ends the longest Stanley Cup playoff game to date, scoring the game's only goal in a 1–0 victory over the Montreal Maroons. The goal comes 16:30 into the sixth overtime period for a total of 116:30 of overtime. It is also the longest NHL ice hockey game ever played. The game is a mere 3:30 short of the equivalent of playing three games back-to-back-to-back.
• April 2, 1939: Boston's Mel Hill scores his third overtime goal of the Bruins' Stanley Cup semi-final series against the New York Rangers, setting an unsurpassed (as of 2012) NHL record for most overtime goals in a single playoff series, earning him the nickname thereafter of "Sudden Death" Hill. The series itself involves four overtime games, two of which go to a third overtime period.
• April 23, 1950: Pete Babando scores at 8:31 of second overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 4–3 win in the seventh game of the 1950 Stanley Cup Final over the New York Rangers. It is the first time that a seventh game of a Final series goes to overtime.
• April 21, 1951: Bill Barilko scores at 2:53 of overtime to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3–2 win in the fifth game of the 1951 Stanley Cup Final over the Montreal Canadiens. All five games in the series need to have overtime to be decided.
• April 16, 1954: Tony Leswick's shot hit Montreal defenseman Doug Harvey's glove and went into the net at 4:20 of overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a 2–1 win in the seventh game of the 1954 Stanley Cup Final over the Montreal Canadiens. No seventh game of a Final series has gone to overtime since.
• April 23, 1964: Bobby Baun of the Toronto Maple Leafs nets a game winner against Detroit 1:43 into overtime in game six of the Finals to tie the series 3–3. The goal is notable because Baun broke his ankle earlier in the game. It is frozen and taped, and Baun returns to the ice to score the winning goal.
• May 10, 1970: One of the most indelible moments in sports history is the sight of Bobby Orr's "in flight" goal that gave the Boston Bruins a 4–3 win and a four game sweep of the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup Final.
• May 24, 1980: Bob Nystrom of the New York Islanders scores the Stanley Cup clinching goal at 7:11 of overtime, eliminating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
• April 10, 1982: "Miracle on Manchester" – Rookie Daryl Evans gives the Los Angeles Kings a 6–5 win over the Edmonton Oilers at 2:35 of overtime. The Kings had trailed the Oilers 5–0 after the second period of game three of the Smythe Division Semifinal. This still remains the largest single game playoff comeback in NHL history.
• May 12, 1986: Doug Wickenheiser's overtime goal gives the St. Louis Blues a 6–5 win over the Calgary Flames in game six of the Campbell Conference Final. The goal, known as the "Monday Night Miracle", caps a 5–2 comeback and makes it more impressive that the three goals needed to tie the game were scored in the last ten minutes of the third period.
• May 18, 1986: A Brian Skrudland goal ends the shortest overtime in NHL history at just nine seconds. The winning goal gives the Montreal Canadiens a 3–2 victory over the Calgary Flames in game two of the Stanley Cup Final.
• April 18, 1987: "Easter Epic" – Pat LaFontaine of New York Islanders scores a goal against Washington Capitals at 8:47 of the fourth overtime period which ends the longest game seven in NHL playoff history. Islanders goaltender Kelly Hrudey makes a record 73 saves.
• May 15, 1990: After hardly playing in overtime, Petr Klima came off the bench late in the third overtime period and scored almost immediately to end the longest overtime in NHL Finals history. The goal gave the Edmonton Oilers a 3–2 victory over the Boston Bruins in game one of the 1990 Stanley Cup Final, setting the stage for the Oilers' fifth cup in seven years.
• April 24, 1993: In game four of the Stanley Cup division semi-final between the Buffalo Sabres and the Boston Bruins, Sabres forward Brad May scores in overtime to give Buffalo a 6–5 win and sweep the Bruins in the series, four games to none. Due to Buffalo commentator Rick Jeanneret's colorful play call when May scored, this game has been referred to in Buffalo as "May Day".
• 1993: After losing in overtime of game one of the Adams division semi-final to the Quebec Nordiques, the Montreal Canadiens go on to win ten consecutive overtime games en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The Habs score another overtime winner the following year against the Boston Bruins, making it eleven consecutive playoff overtime wins.
• April 27, 1994: Dominik Hasek of the Buffalo Sabres stops all 70 shots produced by the New Jersey Devils as Dave Hannan scores the lone goal over a sprawling Martin Brodeur at 5:43 of the fourth overtime period in game six of the first-round matchup.
• April 30, 1994: Pavel Bure scores 2:20 into the second overtime period of the seventh game of the opening round of Vancouver's playoff series with Calgary. The win gives the Vancouver Canucks three consecutive overtime wins over the favored Calgary Flames, who squander a 3–1 series lead.
• May 27, 1994: Stephane Matteau scores the game-winning goal at 4:24 of the second overtime period with a wrap-around, beating Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils in game seven, advancing the New York Rangers to the Stanley Cup Final. It is Matteau's second goal in double overtime periods of the series.
• April 24, 1996: Petr Nedved scores with 44.6 seconds remaining in the fourth overtime period to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a 3–2 win over the Washington Capitals to tie their Eastern Conference quarter-final series at two games apiece.
• June 10, 1996: Uwe Krupp became the twelfth player in NHL history to end the Stanley Cup Finals in overtime, scoring a goal at 4:31 of the third overtime period, giving the Colorado Avalanche a 1–0 win and a sweep of the Florida Panthers.
• June 19, 1999: Brett Hull scores with 5:09 left in the third overtime period of game six to win the Stanley Cup for the Dallas Stars over the Buffalo Sabres. The goal is especially controversial and is known by fans as "No Goal, see 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.
• May 4, 2000: Keith Primeau of the Philadelphia Flyers put a shot over the left shoulder of Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Ron Tugnutt with 7:59 remaining in the fifth overtime period, ending the longest game since 1936.
• June 10, 2000: Jason Arnott scores on Dallas Stars goalie Ed Belfour in the second overtime period of game six to give the New Jersey Devils their second Stanley Cup.
• April 11, 2007: Roberto Luongo, goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks, plays and wins his first career playoff game while making 72 saves, one shy of Kelly Hrudey's record. The game is the sixth longest ever, going into a fourth overtime period. Henrik Sedin scores the winning goal.
• March 22, 2008: Philip Gogulla of the Cologne Sharks ends the longest German hockey game ever and the second longest worldwide, scoring the ninth-overall goal in a 5:4 victory over the Mannheim Eagles. The goal comes 8:16 into the sixth overtime period for a total of 108:16 of overtime. It is the third quarter-final game (best of seven) in the KölnArena in Cologne in front of an audience of 17,000. The game had begun at 5:30pm and ends at 12:15am.
• May 4, 2008: Brenden Morrow scores on San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 9:03 of the fourth overtime period in game six of the Western Conference Semifinal between the Sharks and Stars. The game sees an incredible goaltending duel as Nabokov makes 53 saves in the loss while Marty Turco of Dallas makes 61 saves for the win.
• June 2, 2008: In game five of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final, Petr Sykora told Pierre Maguire of NBC that he would score the winning goal in overtime. At 9:57 of the third overtime period, Sykora scored on Detroit Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood and sent the series back to Pittsburgh for game six.
• June 9, 2010: Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks shoots a goal past Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michael Leighton 4:10 into overtime of game six of the Stanley Cup Final to give the Blackhawks a 4–3 win over the Flyers for their first Stanley Cup Championship since 1961.
• April 26, 2011: Alexandre Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks scored at 5:22 of overtime past Corey Crawford of the Chicago Blackhawks to win the series 4–3 and the game 2–1, sending the Canucks to the Stanley Cup Final series for the first time in 17 years.
• May 25, 2012: Adam Henrique of the New Jersey Devils scored at 1:03 into overtime past Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers in game six of the Eastern Conference Final to send the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2003.
• June 12, 2013: Andrew Shaw scored with 7:52 to go in the third overtime period to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 4–3 win over the Boston Bruins in game one of the Stanley Cup Final, ending the fifth-longest game in Stanley Cup Finals history.

Longest NHL overtime games

This is a list of all National Hockey League (NHL) overtime games that went into at least three overtimes (winning team is bold).

Overtime		Overtime length (min:sec)	Away Team	Score	Home Team	Date	Scorer
1.	6th	116:30	Detroit Red Wings	1–0	Montreal Maroons	March 24, 1936	Mud Bruneteau
2.	6th	104:46	Boston Bruins	0–1	Toronto Maple Leafs	April 3, 1933	Ken Doraty
3.	5th	92:01	Philadelphia Flyers	2–1	Pittsburgh Penguins	May 4, 2000	Keith Primeau
4.	5th	80:48	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	4–3	Dallas Stars	April 24, 2003	Petr Sykora
5.	4th	79:15	Pittsburgh Penguins	3–2	Washington Capitals	April 24, 1996	Petr Nedved
6.	4th	78:06	Dallas Stars	4–5	Vancouver Canucks	April 11, 2007	Henrik Sedin
7.	4th	70:18	Toronto Maple Leafs	3–2	Detroit Red Wings	March 23, 1943	Jack McLean
8.	4th	69:03	San Jose Sharks	1–2	Dallas Stars	May 4, 2008 †	Brenden Morrow
9.	4th	68:52	New York Rangers	1–2	Montreal Canadiens	March 28, 1930	Gus Rivers
10.	4th	68:47	New York Islanders	3–2	Washington Capitals	April 18, 1987 †† (See page)	Pat LaFontaine
11.	4th	65:43	New Jersey Devils	0–1	Buffalo Sabres	April 27, 1994	Dave Hannan
12.	4th	61:09	Montreal Canadiens	3–2	Detroit Red Wings	March 27, 1951	Maurice Richard
13.	4th	60:40	New York Americans	3–2	New York Rangers	March 27, 1938	Lorne Carr
14.	3rd	59:32	New York Rangers	4–3	Montreal Canadiens	March 26, 1932	Fred Cook
15.	3rd	59:25	Boston Bruins	2–1	New York Rangers	March 21, 1939	Mel Hill
16.	3rd	57:34	Dallas Stars	3–2	Edmonton Oilers	April 27, 1999 †	Joe Nieuwendyk
17.	3rd	55:13	Edmonton Oilers	3–2	Boston Bruins	May 15, 1990*	Petr Klima
18.	3rd	54:51	Dallas Stars	2–1	Buffalo Sabres	June 19, 1999** †	Brett Hull
19.	3rd	54:47	Detroit Red Wings	3–2	Carolina Hurricanes	June 8, 2002*	Igor Larionov
20.	3rd	54:41	New York Rangers	2–1	Washington Capitals	May 2, 2012	Marian Gaborik
21.	3rd	53:54	Philadelphia Flyers	3–2	Toronto Maple Leafs	April 16, 2003	Mark Recchi
22.	3rd	53:50	Chicago Blackhawks	3–2	Montreal Canadiens	April 9, 1931*	Cy Wentworth
23.	3rd	52:12	Montreal Canadiens	1–2	Chicago Blackhawks	March 26, 1961	Murray Balfour
24.	3rd	52:08	Boston Bruins	3–4	Chicago Blackhawks	June 12, 2013*	Andrew Shaw
25.	3rd	51:49	Detroit Red Wings	2–1	Montreal Canadiens	April 1, 1937	Hec Kilrea
26.	3rd	51:43	Chicago Blackhawks	2–2***	Montreal Canadiens	March 26, 1930	Howie Morenz
27.	3rd	51:12	Tampa Bay Lightning	1–2	New Jersey Devils	May 2, 2003 †	Grant Marshall
28.	3rd	50:02	Chicago Blackhawks	2–1	Calgary Flames	April 23, 1996 †	Joe Murphy
29.	3rd	49:57	Pittsburgh Penguins	4–3	Detroit Red Wings	June 2, 2008*	Petr Sykora
30.	3rd	48:00	New York Rangers	1–2	Boston Bruins	April 2, 1939	Mel Hill
31.	3rd	47:37	New Jersey Devils	3–4	Montreal Canadiens	April 24, 1997	Patrice Brisebois
32.	3rd	47:06	Ottawa Senators	4–3	Pittsburgh Penguins	April 22, 2010	Matt Carkner
33.	3rd	46:21	Dallas Stars	1–0	New Jersey Devils	June 8, 2000*	Mike Modano
34.	****	45:35	Boston Bruins	2–1	Montreal Maroons	March 20, 1930	Harry Oliver
35.	3rd	44:52	Montreal Canadiens	1–2	Detroit Red Wings	March 22, 1949	Max McNab
36.	3rd	44:33	Colorado Avalanche	3–2	Chicago Blackhawks	May 8, 1996	Joe Sakic
37.	3rd	44:31	Colorado Avalanche	1–0	Florida Panthers	June 10, 1996** †	Uwe Krupp
38.	3rd	44:30	Ottawa Senators	2–3	Toronto Maple Leafs	May 4, 2002	Gary Roberts
39.	3rd	44:03	Tampa Bay Lightning	2–1	Washington Capitals	April 20, 2003 †	Martin St. Louis
40.	3rd	43:18	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	2–1	Detroit Red Wings	April 10, 2003	Paul Kariya
41.	3rd	43:00	Toronto Maple Leafs	5–4	Detroit Red Wings	March 27, 1960	Frank Mahovlich
42.	3rd	42:28	Vancouver Canucks	5–4	Calgary Flames	April 17, 2004	Brendan Morrison
43.	3rd	42:24	San Jose Sharks	2–3	Edmonton Oilers	May 10, 2006	Shawn Horcoff
44.	3rd	42:20	Montreal Canadiens	1–0	Detroit Red Wings	March 29, 1951	Maurice Richard
45.	3rd	41:31	Mighty Ducks of Anaheim	2–3	Detroit Red Wings	May 4, 1997	Vyacheslav Kozlov
46.	3rd	41:19	Chicago Blackhawks	2–3	New York Rangers	April 29, 1971	Pete Stemkowski
47.	3rd	41:15	Anaheim Ducks	4–3	Detroit Red Wings	May 3, 2009	Todd Marchant

*Stanley Cup Finals game

**Stanley Cup winning goal

***This was the second game of a two-game total-goals series. The first game was won 1–0 by Montreal, the second game was 2–1 for Chicago after regulation play. The overtime period was considered part of the second game, so Morenz's goal made the final score of the game 2–2, but Montreal won the series with an aggregate score of 3-2.

****A 10-minute overtime period was followed by a continuous, unlimited, sudden-death overtime period. The winning goal was scored at 35:35 of that period.

† Series-Clinching Goal

†† Game 7

Swedish Hockey

This is a list of the longest games in the highest Swedish leagues.

Overtime		Overtime length (min:sec)	League	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Date	Scorer
1.	5th	80:41	Play off to Kvalserien	IF Troja/Ljungby	2–1	Bofors IK	March 20, 2002	Mika Välilä
2.	4th	73:38	Play off to Division 1	Olofströms IK	3–4	Kristianstads IK	March 7, 1995	Roman Steblecki
3.	4th	68:42	Play off to Division 1	Osby IK	5–4	Mariestad BoIS HC	February 28, 1993	Jonas Evaldsson
4.	3rd	59:16	Elitserien (SHL) Semifinals	Leksands IF	3–2	Färjestads BK	March 23, 1997	Andreas Karlsson
5.	3rd	57:37	Play off to Kvalserien	IFK Arboga IK	3–2	Bofors IK	March 13, 2002	Fredrik Gustavsson
6.	3rd	52:17	Elitserien Quarterfinals	Timrå IK	2–1	Luleå HF	March 3, 2003	Marcus Åkerblom
7.	3rd	47:14	Play off to Division 1	IFK Österåkers IK	4–3	Lidingö HC	March 10, 1996	Mikael Lindqvist
8.	3rd	41:56	Elitserien Finals	Västra Frölunda HC	4–3	Färjestads BK	April 7, 2003	Tomi Kallio
9.	3rd	41:14	Play off to Kvalserien	Timrå IK	5–4	Huddinge IK	February 26, 1989	Ove Öström
10.	3rd	40:31	Play off to Division 1	Hofors IK	6–7	Surahammars IF	February 23, 1982	Jan Svanberg

Czech Hockey

Overtime		Overtime length (min:sec)	League	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Date	Scorer
1.	3rd	53:51	Extraliga ledního hokeje	HC Mountfield	2–3	HC Vítkovice Steel	March 7, 2013	Peter Húževka
2.	2nd	36:15	Extraliga ledního hokeje	PSG Zlín	3–4	HC Škoda Plzeň	April 21, 2013	Martin Straka

Notable minor league, college and junior overtimes

AHL

This is a list of the longest American Hockey League (AHL) overtime games.

The longest game in AHL history was game five of the 2008 East Division Semifinals on April 24, 2008. The Philadelphia Phantoms beat the Albany River Rats, 3–2, at Times Union Center on a goal by Ryan Potulny at 2:58 of the fifth 20-minute overtime period. Scott Munroe was the winning goaltender for the Phantoms, making 65 saves. Michael Leighton was the losing goaltender for the River Rats despite making 98 saves.

Overtime Length (min:sec)		Away Team	Score	Home Team	Date
1.	82:58	Philadelphia Phantoms	3–2	Albany River Rats	April 24, 2008
2.	74:56**	Houston Aeros	1–2	Hamilton Bulldogs	May 30, 2003
3.	74:08	Rochester Americans	2–3	New Haven Nighthawks	April 10, 1982
4.	62:42	Syracuse Stars	3–2	Cleveland Barons	April 4, 1938
5.	61:46	Cleveland Barons	2–3	Pittsburgh Hornets	April 14, 1953
6.	59:47	Providence Reds	2–3	Cleveland Barons	March 28, 1939
7.	55:50	Hershey Bears	3–4	Adirondack Red Wings	May 17, 1986
8.	53:02	Philadelphia Phantoms	2–1	Norfolk Admirals	April 28, 2004
9.	52:26	Binghamton Senators	2–3	Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins	April 25, 2005
10.	50:16	Cleveland Barons	4–3	Springfield Indians	April 4, 1962
11.	47:49	Worcester IceCats	3–4	Hartford Wolf Pack	May 5, 2004
12.	46:15	Pittsburgh Hornets	2–1	Springfield Indians	March 22, 1941
13.	46:06	Maine Mariners	3–4	Moncton Golden Flames	April 18, 1986
14.	46:00	Worcester IceCats	3–2	Manchester Monarchs	April 22, 2004
15.	45:17*	Nova Scotia Voyageurs	4–3	Maine Mariners	April 11, 1985
16.	44:48**	Cleveland Barons	4–5	Philadelphia Ramblers	April 4, 1939
17.	44:30	Pittsburgh Hornets	3–2	Hershey Bears	March 31, 1951
18.	44:18	Baltimore Clippers	3–4	Rochester Americans	April 16, 1967
19.	44:02	Pittsburgh Hornets	2–3	Cleveland Barons	April 3, 1956
20.	42:55	Philadelphia Ramblers	3–2	New Haven Eagles	March 31, 1938

*Overtime format was one five-minute period followed by 20-minute periods

**Calder Cup Finals game

Canadian Interuniversity Sport-Men

The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds needed 61:53 of overtime (four extra periods) to defeat the Acadia University Axemen 3–1 on Feb 27, 2011 in game two of a best-of-five AUS semifinal series at Fredericton, New Brunswick. Nick MacNeil scored the game-winner at 11:53 of the seventh period overall.

York University Lions and Lakehead University Thunderwolves went to a fourth overtime period (50:13 minutes of overtime) on February 14, 2007 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to decide a winner in OUA men's playoff hockey action. Lakehead won the game at the 13-second mark of the fourth overtime period.

Canadian Interuniversity Sport–Women

Morgan McHaffie scored at 17:14 of the sixth overtime period to lead the Queen's Golden Gaels to a 2–1 win over the host Guelph Gryphons in the first game of the best-of-three OUA women's hockey final, March 2, 2011. The game, which lasted 167 minutes and 14 seconds, including 107:14 of extra time, is the longest on record in CIS or NCAA hockey – women's or men's. Winning goaltender Mel Dodd-Moher made 66 saves, while Danielle Skoufranis made 44 saves in a losing cause. It is the longest game ever played sanctioned by Hockey Canada.

ECHL

Overtime Length (min:sec)		Away Team	Score	Home Team	Date
1.	66:10	Elmira Jackals	5–4	Trenton Devils	April 10, 2009
2.	64:19	South Carolina Stingrays	4–3	Gwinnett Gladiators	April 6–7, 2012
3.	61:24	Louisiana IceGators	2–3	Greenville Grrrowl	May 5, 2000
4.	55:19	Jackson Bandits	5–4	Louisiana IceGators	April 5, 2002
5.	53:30	Las Vegas Wranglers	3–4	Alaska Aces	May 2, 2006
6.	50:37	South Carolina Stingrays	3–4	Mississippi Sea Wolves	April 13, 1999
7.	48:13	Idaho Steelheads	3–2	Las Vegas Wranglers	April 6, 2011
8.	46:30	Mississippi Sea Wolves	3–4	Pee Dee Pride	May 2, 1999
9.	46:23	Utah Grizzlies	4–3	Fresno Falcons	April 14, 2008
10.	45:47	Hampton Roads Admirals	2–1	Greensboro Monarchs	April 9, 1991*

* Championship Series game.

International Hockey League

On May 12, 2008, one of the longest games in IHL history, if not the longest, took place in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was the seventh game of the Turner Cup Final between the hometown Fort Wayne Komets and Port Huron Icehawks. The game was tied 2–2 through regulation. The first two extra periods solved nothing, but 23 seconds into the third overtime period, at some point after midnight ET, Justin Hodgman scored the winning goal to give the Komets their fifth Turner Cup title. It was the club's first since 1993, and their sixth overall, with their last championship being the Colonial Cup in 2003. The Komets would win again the following year with an easy game five victory at home, which was the first time in franchise history they won back-to-back championships. They would follow up with a third consecutive Turner Cup in 2010, again clinching on home ice, securing a dynasty.

NCAA

The longest game in NCAA hockey history was played on March 12/13, 2010. Quinnipiac University defeated Union College, 3–2, in the ECAC Hockey League quarter-final playoff game after 90:22 of overtime. Greg Holt scored the winning goal for Quinnipiac. Longest game list <<http://www.collegehockeynews.com/almanac/longestGames.php>>

Overall game length (min:sec)	Overtime length	Number of overtimes	Winning team	Score	Losing team	Where it occurred	Date
150:22	90:22	5	Quinnipiac University	3–2	Union College	ECACH Quarter-Finals (Game 1, Best of 3)	3/12/2010
141:35	81:35	5	Yale University	3–2	Union College	ECACHL First Round (Game 2, Best of 3)	3/4/2006
129:30	69:30	4	Colorado College	1–0	Wisconsin Badgers	WCHA First Round (Game 2, Best of 3)	3/8/1997
123:53	63:53	4	St. Lawrence	3–2	Boston University	NCAA East Regional (Second Round)	March 26, 2000
121:05	61:05	4	Colgate University	4–3	Dartmouth College	ECAC Quarterfinal (Game 1, Best of 3)	March 14, 2003

The two longest games in NCAA hockey history were both played at Union College in Schenectady, NY.

The longest game in NCAA hockey history was played on March 12, 2010. Quinnipiac University defeated Union College, 3–2, in the ECAC Hockey League Quarter-Final after 90:22 of overtime. Greg Holt scored the winning goal just after 1:00 AM local time.

The 2nd longest game in NCAA hockey history was played on March 5, 2006. Yale University defeated Union College, 3–2, in the ECAC Hockey League first-round playoff game after 81:35 of overtime. David Meckler scored the winning goal with Yale shorthanded.

The longest game in NCAA Division III hockey history, and the third longest in NCAA history overall, began at 7:05pm on February 27, 2010 and ended at 12:35am of the following day. Gustavus Adolphus College defeated Augsburg College, 6–5, to advance to the MIAC championship game after 78:38 of overtime. Eric Bigham scored the winning goal.

A 2000 NCAA regional final in men's ice hockey between St. Lawrence University and Boston University ended with 63:53 of overtime. Manitoba native and minor hockey buddy of Craig McAulay, Robin Carruthers scored the gwg after four periods of overtime play

A March 30, 1991 game between Northern Michigan University and Boston University ended with Northern Michigan earning an 8–7 victory over Boston University. Unlikely hero Darryl Plandowski scores in the third overtime period and fifth hour of play to give the Wildcats the title.

A March 8, 1997 game between Colorado College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison ended with Colorado College winning, 1–0, after 69:30.

A March 14, 2003 ECAC Quarterfinal game between Colgate University and Dartmouth ended, 4–3 for Colgate, after 61:05 in overtime.

On March 26, 2006, the Wisconsin Badgers beat the Cornell Big Red 1–0 at 11:13 into the third overtime at the Midwest Regional Final in the NCAA Tournament at the Resch Center in Green Bay. It was the second-longest NCAA Tournament game in its history and the longest 1–0 game in tournament history. It is currently the eighth-longest game all-time in NCAA Division I history.

A March 11, 2007 game between St. Cloud State University and University of Minnesota-Duluth during the first round of the WCHA playoffs ended with SCSU winning, 3–2, after 51:33 of overtime. It is the seventh-longest NCAA Division I game in history.

In the first round of the 2008 WCHA hockey tournament featuring the fourth-seeded Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks hosting the seventh-seeded University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Friday and Sunday games both went into double overtime, and the Saturday night game went into one overtime. The Gophers prevailed two games to one in the series, winning Saturday and Sunday.

On March 3, 2012, in the first round of the 2012 ECAC Hockey hockey tournament featuring the seventh-seeded Clarkson Golden Knights men's ice hockey team hosting the tenth-seeded RPI Engineers men's ice hockey team, Clarkson defeated RPI 4–3 at 13:48 in the third overtime period, after 113:48 of play. It is currently the sixth-longest game all-time in NCAA Division I history.

NCAA Women

On March 10, 1996, New Hampshire defeated Providence, 3–2, in an ECAC Women's Championship game after 85:35 of overtime.

On March 10, 2007, Wisconsin defeated Harvard, 1–0, in an NCAA Women's Quarterfinal game after 67:09 of overtime at the Kohl Center in Madison WI. Wisconsin went on to win the national championship.

On March 10, 2012, Cornell University defeated Boston University, 8–7, in an NCAA Women's Quarterfinal game after 59:50 of overtime at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, NY, surpassing the men's game from the previous night as the longest hockey game to be played at the rink.

2007 RBC Cup – Canadian Jr A Championship

The semi-final game for the 2007 RBC Cup, saw the host Prince George Spruce Kings taking on the Camrose Kodiaks. The game ended up being the longest game in Royal Bank Cup history at 146 minutes and 1 second. The Spruce Kings broke a 2–2 tie just over six minutes into the fifth overtime period to win 3–2 and clinch a berth in the RBC Cup Final against the Aurora Tigers. Jason Yuel of the Spruce Kings scored the winner while goaltender Jordan White stopped 91 of 93 shots for the victory.

OPJHL

On February 10, 2007, the Toronto Jr. Canadiens defeated the Pickering Panthers, 4–3, to take a 2–0 series lead in the first round of the OPJHL playoffs, after 104:32 of overtime. It is the second longest game ever played sanctioned by Hockey Canada.

GHJHL

February 1999, the St. Catharines Falcons defeated the Port Colborne Sailors 7-6 to take a 2-1 series lead in the semi finals of the Golden Horseshoe Jr. B Hockey League Playoffs. Peter Lacey scored 11 minutes into the fifth overtime period, ending the game at 2:18am. The game started at 7:30pm. It is the longest junior hockey game sanctioned by Hockey Canada

High school

Marquette vs Orchard Lake St Marys went eight overtimes during the Michigan State Ice Hockey Division 1 Championship game before Tournament officials stopped the game in consideration of the health and welfare of the players on March 8, 2008. The 1–1 tie resulted in the two teams being declared co-champions. The game lasted 109 minutes. Ryan Morley Stockton of St. Mary's had a MHSAA-record 58 saves.

The longest game in high school history was in a 1998 FCIAC quarterfinal matchup in Darien, CT between archrivals Wilton and Ridgefield that went to a tenth eight-minute overtime period after 45 minutes of regulation (125:00 of hockey). Chris Ludwig of Wilton scored the game-winner while being hauled down in front of the Ridgefield net in the tenth overtime period.

The previous record belonged to the Aurora High School–Solon High School game in which Aurora won in the eighth overtime period of the Ohio state playoffs. The winning goal was scored with 3:52 left in the 8th overtime (105th minute), setting an American record.

See also

• National Hockey League
• American Hockey League
• Ice hockey
• Ice hockey rules
• Breakaway (hockey)
• Season (sport)
• Easter Epic

References

• The National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book
• Diamond, Dan; (1992), The Official National Hockey League Stanley Cup Centennial Book
• The American Hockey League Guide & Record Book

External links

• List of all NHL Overtime Games by Decade