NHL Sixth Overtime Rule Changes In Hockey

NHL regular season overtime rules mention that the team plays a sudden death of 5 minutes with three skaters and a goaltender on each team.

The OT was implemented for every game from 1921 to 1942. However, it was terminated in the 1942-43 season due to wartime train restrictions.

In 1983-84, overtime was reintroduced for the regular season. The time was reduced to five minutes and sudden death was implemented. Still, the clear winner could not be decided if none of the teams scored in the OT.

Thus, a shootout was added to the regular season overtime in the 2005-06 season. The team that secures the highest score in the shootout is considered the winner of the game.

The rules for OT were modified before the 2015-16 season. Instead of five skaters and a goaltender, it stated that only three skaters and a goalie can be on the ice.

The overtime is shorter in the regular season as compared to the playoffs. Eighty-two games are scheduled densely for each regular season in a round-robin format. 

Stanley Cup playoffs overtime rules have not changed since 1947-48. It stated that the teams play a 5-on-5 match in a 20-minute sudden-death period.

If none of the team scores by the end, the game will proceed to the next OT. In between two overtimes, there is an intermission of 15 minutes to resurface the ice and give players a break.

The postseason matches are played in an elimination format. Based on the team standings of the regular season, the teams are selected for the Stanley Cup championship.

Four teams from each division are selected and the highest-seeders are paired with the lowest-seeders. The Conference champions will head towards the Championship Finals.

There is no limit to the overtime that can be played in the postseason matches of the NHL. The game does not end until one of the teams scores a goal.

The longest overtime in NHL history lasted 116 minutes and 30 seconds. It was played between the Red Wings and Montreal Maroons on 24 March 1936.

The matchup lasted for two days and reached up to sixth overtime. Mud Bruneteau of the Wings slid the puck into the net in the final minutes and won the game.

The rules for the seventh NHL overtime are same as the 6th overtime. The teams swap their ice ends at the beginning and play a 5-on-5 match.

None of the games of the league has reached a seventh OT yet. The maximum number of overtime that the NHL franchises have played is six.

A Twitter user named Rob Wesley disclosed the rules for 6th, 7th, and 8th OT are different in the league. He tweeted that five pucks will be played at five face-off points in the 7th overtime. The user also noted that each team will have 15 players with a goaltender each.

However, the NHL has not announced any such rule for the 7th OT period. The same set of rules applies for every OT period to ensure fairness. 

NHL 8th Overtime Red Envelope indicates that the rules for the eighth OT in the league are inside a red envelope. The documents have not been opened since 1917 as per Rob Wesley.

The user has baffled the hockey enthusiasts by claiming multiple new OT rules. Since he is not a hockey professional, he seems to be circling hoaxes about the rules.

In 2020, Wesley tweeted that a second puck would come into play if the game went into the sixth OT. He revealed that it will be happening in the upcoming games.

The NHL has not published anything concerning the OT rules. Overtime is just added to the games to declare a clear winner. Having different rules for each OT will create complications.

As of now, there is no difference in rules for different overtime. Five skaters and a goalie partake in the OT game after switching their sides in the beginning. 

College hockey overtime rules Big Ten state that there are two sudden-death OT periods of 5 minutes in regular season conference games. 

When the regulation ends in a tie, the teams first play the game in an NCAA-mandated 5-on-5 overtime. If the game ends in a tie, the teams proceed to 3-on-3 overtime.

The team who scored the first goal in overtime wins the match. However, if the teams fail to secure a goal or make a tie in both OTs, the game will resort to a shootout.

In all the non-conference hockey games, the game is concluded even if it ends in a tie after the 3-on-3 five-minute OT. 

The rules are different for the semifinals and finals of the NCAA D1 championship (Frozen Four). The game proceeds to 20-minute 5-on-5 overtime after a tie in regulation.

Like the NHL playoffs, the Frozen Four overtime continues until one of the teams scores. Moreover, there is an intermission between each OT period.

The longest NCAA hockey game has a record of 142 minutes and 13 seconds. It was played between the University of Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota.

The match occurred on 27 March 2021 and was dragged to the 5th overtime. Minnesota scored a winning goal 2 minutes and 31 seconds into the OT.