Bryan McAllister’s personal reference notebook
July 27, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
A quiet encyclopedia with a personal desk
Kept by Bryan McAllister — short guides, clear facts, and the Canadian angle when it matters.
Sports Desk • Hockey

Hockey

Hockey is a team sport played in several forms, most notably ice hockey, in which players use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team’s net.

Updated July 27, 20261 min readCited sources

Hockey is a team sport played in several forms, most notably ice hockey, where players use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing net. In Canada, “hockey” almost always means ice hockey.

What it is

Ice hockey is a fast-paced team sport with six players per side on the ice during standard play. The game is divided into three 20-minute periods, totaling 60 minutes of regulation time. However, stoppages and intermissions mean a typical NHL game lasts about 2.5 hours in real time.

Key details

Common infractions include offside, called when an attacking player enters the offensive zone before the puck crosses the blue line. The NHL is the top professional league, with its season starting in early October. Wayne Gretzky holds the record for most regular-season goals in NHL history.

Why it matters

Ice hockey is one of Canada’s most culturally significant sports, and the word “hockey” in Canadian English almost always refers to it. Canada is home to many NHL teams and has a deep history in the sport, making it a central part of national identity.

In short

  • Standard ice hockey has three 20-minute periods.
  • An NHL game typically runs about 2.5 hours in real time.
  • Offside occurs when an attacker enters the zone before the puck.
  • Wayne Gretzky is the NHL’s all-time regular-season goals leader.
Canadian angle

Ice hockey is one of Canada’s most culturally significant sports, and in Canadian English the word “hockey” usually refers to ice hockey. Canada is also home to many NHL teams and has a long history in the sport.[11][4]

Quick questions

How many periods in hockey?
Standard ice hockey has three periods of 20 minutes each, for 60 minutes of regulation time.
What is offside in hockey?
Offside is called when an attacking player enters the offensive zone before the puck crosses the blue line.
Who has the most goals in NHL history?
Wayne Gretzky has the most regular-season goals in NHL history.

Sources

  1. Ice Hockey Guide — https://icehockeyguide.com/hockey-periods/
    Supports: Three 20-minute periods; full NHL game length is about 2.5 hours.
  2. Hockey Instinct — https://www.hockeyinstinct.com/hockey-periods/
    Supports: Three periods; 20-minute stop-time periods; real-time game length often 2 to 2.5 hours.
  3. Sporting News — https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/how-many-periods-hockey-nhl-games/1aba80719c5940feaff852fb
    Supports: NHL games have three 20-minute periods and intermissions between periods.
  4. Solent Devils — https://www.solentdevils.co.uk/rules-for-newbies/
    Supports: Offside definition in hockey: offensive player crosses the blue line before the puck.
  5. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey
    Supports: General structure of ice hockey; three 20-minute periods; ties broken in overtime or shootout.
  6. FloHockey — https://www.flohockey.tv/articles/7977462-how-long-is-a-typical-hockey-game
    Supports: Typical hockey game length and three 20-minute periods.
  7. Cheltenham Sports — https://www.cheltenhamsports.org/content/34727/How-Long-Do-Average-Hockey-Games-Last
    Supports: Average NHL game duration around 2.5 hours.
  8. Yahoo Sports — https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/many-periods-hockey-know-length-133241821.html
    Supports: Three periods; 20 minutes each; 60 minutes total.