How long is a hockey game?
Regulation is 60 minutes of playing time (three 20-minute periods); the clock stops at every whistle, so the game takes much longer in real time.1 Most games take at least about two and a half hours from start to finish, with 60 minutes of actual play.2 (NHL Rule 77)
The details
The clock stops whenever an official blows the whistle (icing, offside, penalties, puck out of play, goalie freezing the puck and so on) and when a goal is scored. (Rule 34)1
NHL games include commercial (TV) time-outs on a schedule set by the league; they are official time-outs and are not charged to either team. (Rule 87)1
No commercial time-out may be taken after a goal or after an icing call, unless a penalty that changes on-ice strength is also called. (Rule 87)1
TV time-outs are two minutes long and come three times per period, at the first normal stoppage after the 6, 10 and 14 minute marks; they are skipped on a power play, after a goal or after an icing.3
Each NHL team gets one 30-second time-out per game, regular season or playoffs, taken during a normal stoppage. (Rule 87)1
Snow is cleared from the crease and end zones during each commercial time-out, and the whole ice is shoveled before regular-season overtime and before a shootout. (Rule 1)1
USA Hockey allows each team one 60-second time-out per game, and none in games with a time curfew.4
More hockey rules
How many periods are in hockey? · NHL overtime rules · What is icing in hockey? · All hockey rules
Sources
- NHL Official Rules 2025-26 (league) · accessed 2026-10-23
- FloHockey: How long is a typical hockey game? (Nov 4, 2024) · accessed 2026-10-23
- Wikipedia: National Hockey League rules · accessed 2026-10-23
- USA Hockey Official Playing Rules 2025-29 (linked from usahockey.com/rulesandresources) · accessed 2026-10-23
Rules are paraphrased, not quoted; the rulebook wins wherever wording matters. NHL rules unless a league is named.