Record Still Belongs to Detroit Red Wings vs Montreal Maroons in 1936

Published on August 8th, 2020 1:36 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


One of the biggest reasons why people love NHL playoff history is because of the possibility of a really, really long overtime.

In soccer, extra time will end after a period of time before moving to a shootout.

In basketball and football, the higher scoring nature of the games lead to shorter overtimes.

Hockey and baseball are the two team sports where games can continue for a very, very long time.

-

In the history of the NHL, multiple games have gone at least five overtimes.

That is an incredible amount of time to be playing hockey, considering a traditional full-length game is three periods.

The record for the longest ever NHL game belongs to a Stanley Cup semi-final clash between the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Maroons in 1936.

This game, which was won 1-0 by the Red Wings, was dominated by the goaltenders. At some points, it seemed as though the game would never end.

In the end, Mud Bruneteau scored in the sixth overtime period to win the game.

In total, 116 minutes and 30 seconds of overtime was played before a winner was determined.

The longest game in the "modern era" of the NHL (post-expansion) belongs to a 2000 clash between the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In this game, 92 minutes and 1 second of overtime was played before Keith Primeau notched the winner to give the Flyers a 2-1 victory.

-

Here are the five longest games in the history of the NHL:

1. Montreal Maroons vs Detroit Red Wings, 1936
116 minutes, 30 seconds of overtime
Detroit 1-0

2. Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins, 1933
104 minutes, 46 seconds of overtime
Toronto 1-0

3. Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers, 2000
92 minutes, 1 second of overtime
Philadelphia 2-1

4. Anaheim Ducks vs Dallas Stars, 2003
80 minutes, 48 seconds of overtime
Anaheim 4-3

5. Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals, 1996
79 minutes, 15 seconds of overtime
Pittsburgh 3-2