When was the first regular season NHL overtime game?
In Canada in 1917 the NHL was
established but it wasn’t until the 1983-84 season that overtime was introduced
for regular season games.
Overtime was brought in as part of
the game so that a winner could be established should there be a tie after
regulation time. Regulation time in the NHL is 3 twenty-minute periods of play
and after these 3 periods if both teams have an equal amount of goals, overtime
will be played. Overtime consists of 5 minutes of play that now consists of only
4 players from each team on the ice, instead of the normal 5. Overtime is
considered to be sudden death meaning that whichever team is the first to score
that is the team that will be determined the winner of the game.
The lockout that occurred within the NHL during the
2004-2005 season brought about many changes to the game once it began again. One
of these changes was that, after 5 minutes of 4-on-4 overtime, if the game was
still tied, a shootout would occur. This shootout would consist of 3 players
individually skating up to the opposing team’s net trying to score. Whichever
team has more goals after this shootout will be determined the winner of the
game. Before the lockout, an NHL overtime would also consist of 5 players on the
ice instead of 4.
The
1983-84 season opened on October 4, 1983 but there were no overtime games, the
first games to go to overtime occurred on October 5, 1983 when the Minnesota
North Stars and Los Angeles Kings skated to a 3-3 overtime tie and the Detroit
Red Wings and Winnipeg Jets skated to a 6-6 tie.
The first game to be decided by overtime occured on
October 8, 1983 when the New York Islanders defeated the Washington Capitals
8-7.
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