Theoretical longest possible overtime.

[Cashville]

there was a playoff game between dallas and vancouver in i wanna say 2007 that went to four overtimes

****ing thing had *SIX* half times

it was crazy

I watched this game live; PIT v PHI 5OTs with the Keith Primeau winner:

 

[TheSenator]

there was a playoff game between dallas and vancouver in i wanna say 2007 that went to four overtimes

****ing thing had *SIX* half times

it was crazy

Haha six intermissions*

6 half-times...

 

[ThirdManIn]

I realize the rules say that you play until there's a winner, and the longest overtime in history happened in Germany, 8 overtimes.

Anyways at what point do medical professionals step in and say that they need to get rest etc? I understand it's unlikely, but theoretically they could play for a whole year and we'd miss a whole season... theoretically.

This sounds like a good question for Randall Munroe. If there's one thing I know about his What If blog, a theoretically longest possible hockey OT would destroy the entire planet.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

I can't stand CBC guys who complain about overtime on the panel and joke about wanting it over before the first overtime even stated. You get payed to watch and talk about playoff hockey and it's the best time of year and it's something we all love, why on earth voice your frustrations about wanting to go home on tv, it'd be different if it wasn't on the air and even then it doesent make sense to me.

Yes they "work" long days pretty well every day but it's only this time of year.

Suck it up, we haven't even had a long overtime game yet.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

there was a playoff game between dallas and vancouver in i wanna say 2007 that went to four overtimes

****ing thing had *SIX* half times

it was crazy

That was the one where Luongo had to go on an IV drip because he got so dehydrated.

And he thought he had it tough... my buddies and I got so drunk a couple of us had to call in sick the next day. It's one thing to budget for 3 periods of drinking but 7 started pushing our limits.

 

[Quarter]

Dunno but the first time someone gets seriously hurt in a 5 or 6OT game you'll start hearing league and media chatter about shootouts after so many OTs.

That would depend on the kind of injury, though.

But considering that there have only been four games in NHL history to go into an eighth period (with 14 years since the most recent edition, and a 64-year gap between editions two and three), it's probably something the league won't have to deal with.

Hell, there hasn't even been a four-overtime game in almost a decade (2008).

 

[TimeZone]

there was a playoff game between dallas and vancouver in i wanna say 2007 that went to four overtimes

****ing thing had *SIX* half times

it was crazy

One of the best games I've ever seen to this day. That Nabokov save on (Richards?) was one of the best I've ever seen.

 

[Huggy]

I can't stand CBC guys who complain about overtime on the panel and joke about wanting it over before the first overtime even stated. You get payed to watch and talk about playoff hockey and it's the best time of year and it's something we all love, why on earth voice your frustrations about wanting to go home on tv, it'd be different if it wasn't on the air and even then it doesent make sense to me.

Yes they "work" long days pretty well every day but it's only this time of year.

Suck it up, we haven't even had a long overtime game yet.

was it kelly hrudey

 

[canuckster19]

I can't stand CBC guys who complain about overtime on the panel and joke about wanting it over before the first overtime even stated. You get payed to watch and talk about playoff hockey and it's the best time of year and it's something we all love, why on earth voice your frustrations about wanting to go home on tv, it'd be different if it wasn't on the air and even then it doesent make sense to me.

Yes they "work" long days pretty well every day but it's only this time of year.

Suck it up, we haven't even had a long overtime game yet.

Ok Buzz Killington, that's not the point of the thread, I don't care about long overtimes, the question is what's the theoretically longest possible overtime until doctors intervene, or the league intervenes. As I said you can theoretically play a whole year. There is a point where the NHL would step in and probably the coaches would agree to go to 4 on 4, 3 on 3 or hell even a shootout to finally decide it. At what point is that though? 30th OT? 50th?

 

[Braunbaer]

There is a point where the NHL would step in and probably the coaches would agree to go to 4 on 4, 3 on 3 or hell even a shootout to finally decide it. At what point is that though? 30th OT? 50th?

Since I highly doubt they'd change the rules in the midst of a game, I think they'd continue playing the next day.
I'm also pretty sure playing 4on4 wouldn't change that much if everyone is dead tired anyway.

 

[jax00]

 

[tony d]

I think they might step in after 6 overtimes and resume things the next day. Even then that's 3 full games right there.

 

[g00n]

That would depend on the kind of injury, though.

But considering that there have only been four games in NHL history to go into an eighth period (with 14 years since the most recent edition, and a 64-year gap between editions two and three), it's probably something the league won't have to deal with.

Hell, there hasn't even been a four-overtime game in almost a decade (2008).

The NHL came up with this ridiculous offside review/challenge system for overturning goals because, what, one goal in a Habs series would've been offside?

Don't underestimate the NHL's ability to overreact and screw things up.

 

[Jacob]

As long as they're replenishing fluids and nutrients they could probably go for a pretty long time before there'd be any significant health risks. Even a big-minute guy will probably only play about half of a 20 minute period, and then have 15 minutes of rest in between each period. The game would be pretty slow and ugly, but you could probably continue for at least like 10, maybe 12 overtime periods.

I wouldn't say the same for a lower level of hockey where the average fitness level is lesser and where medical staff aren't on standby, though.

 

[Kane One]

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

What do you get when you multiply nine by six?

GOAT books/radio series.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Haha six intermissions*

6 half-times...

ever since i saw steve kouleas' bs rant on hockey vernacular i use misnomers on purpose on the hope that it somehow cosmically irritates him

 

[Shrimper]

Technically, they'd be able to have 2 days until the next game...

But I would guess after 6 they'd start thinking, okay, lets come back tomorrow.

 

[ThirdManIn]

As long as they're replenishing fluids and nutrients they could probably go for a pretty long time before there'd be any significant health risks. Even a big-minute guy will probably only play about half of a 20 minute period, and then have 15 minutes of rest in between each period. The game would be pretty slow and ugly, but you could probably continue for at least like 10, maybe 12 overtime periods.

I wouldn't say the same for a lower level of hockey where the average fitness level is lesser and where medical staff aren't on standby, though.

I don't think this is true. A player who plays, say, 20 minutes through the first three periods is probably looking at having burned through at least 900 calories, assuming average weight of an NHL hockey player (700 calories per hour for a player weighing 190 lbs, but assuming that player only played in 25 percent of the game, or 15 minutes of ice time, and I believe the average weight of an NHL player is closer to 200-205 lbs). Because of the high-intensity interval style of play, the calorie burn continues at a fairly high rate even when they are sitting on the bench. So if they are going to be playing an extra ten periods of hockey, you can expect a player who would normally be playing 20 minutes (one-third) of a game would end up with somewhere between 85 and 90 minutes of total ice time. So you're talking about closing in on 4,000 calories burned for that one game. Replenishing that kind of calorie load would be extremely difficult to do given the time restrictions. I guess we could have guys eating straight butter.

Of course, the record seems to be 8 periods so I guess it isn't totally irrational to think they could have gone an extra 2 periods, but replenishing that amount of calories is going to be pretty difficult. An extra 4 periods is out of the question.

 

[LeafsNation75]

At some point they would call it and start the game next day. Maybe 5/6 OTs and more then 1 player fainting on the ice or bench and needing oxygen the refs/NHL head offices and both coaches talk about it after the end of OT 5/6/7 and decide that's enough for today.

In the 2000 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia Game 4 had 5 overtime periods and in the 2003 Western Conference Semi-Finals between Dallas and Anaheim, Game 1 had 5 overtime periods.

 

[The Thin White Duke]

It would be such a logistical nightmare if they had to delay the game to some other day because of it.

Who's arena is it played in? Do people have to buy new tickets for it?

I think they'd force them to finish the game and try to get the refs to start calling everything in hopes of ending it on a PP goal.

 

[Kryten]

Would labour laws be used in this situation? Something like 16 hours would be the legal limit? Or are sports more exempt

 

[BMOK33]

The 2000 game between the Flyers and Pens I think ended at 220am and was close to reaching a 6th OT. I think after the 6th OT there would be some discussion about what to do but I was surprised that game ended as "early" as it did. It started at 7pm though I think, not 730 or 8. The Canucks/Stars 4 OT game in 2007 I believe ended at 440am eastern time given it was on the West Coast.

 

[VirginiaBob]

I don't think we'll see any change in the next 100 years. And by then we'll be populating Mars.

Doubt it. When I was a kid, I thought we'd have finished terraforming mars by now. Instead, we have the exact same technologies as when I was a kid, but slightly improved. TV's got flatter and bigger. Phones got smaller, bigger, smaller, now bigger again. Still 99.9% of cars run off gasoline and don't fly. Internet is faster. Cable tv got more expensive. Less manned flights to space now than before. Probably same rehashed crap in 100 years.

 

[Skobel24]

i realize the rules say that you play until there's a winner, and the longest overtime in history happened in germany, 8 overtimes.

Anyways at what point do medical professionals step in and say that they need to get rest etc? I understand it's unlikely, but theoretically they could play for a whole year and we'd miss a whole season... Theoretically.

12.5

 

[Brainiac]

I don't think this is true. A player who plays, say, 20 minutes through the first three periods is probably looking at having burned through at least 900 calories, assuming average weight of an NHL hockey player (700 calories per hour for a player weighing 190 lbs, but assuming that player only played in 25 percent of the game, or 15 minutes of ice time, and I believe the average weight of an NHL player is closer to 200-205 lbs). Because of the high-intensity interval style of play, the calorie burn continues at a fairly high rate even when they are sitting on the bench. So if they are going to be playing an extra ten periods of hockey, you can expect a player who would normally be playing 20 minutes (one-third) of a game would end up with somewhere between 85 and 90 minutes of total ice time. So you're talking about closing in on 4,000 calories burned for that one game. Replenishing that kind of calorie load would be extremely difficult to do given the time restrictions. I guess we could have guys eating straight butter.

Of course, the record seems to be 8 periods so I guess it isn't totally irrational to think they could have gone an extra 2 periods, but replenishing that amount of calories is going to be pretty difficult. An extra 4 periods is out of the question.

I don't disagree with your calorie estimate. 4000 sounds about the right ballpark. Might even be a little higher, you went for conservative estimates (which is perfectly fine).

However, the game would be so long, I think the players might be able to take something like 2000 or 3000 calories (or even more?) without a problem. Gatorade is around 250 calories per liter and you'd have to guess the guys would drink at least a few liters. Then add a couple of slices of pizza or a burger during the 5th or 6th intermission.

My point is, it wouldn't be a net 4000 calories deficit.