OT in Hockey questions
 

Last night, my 10 year old needed the comp for a report on Daniel Boone... anyway, I had some time to actually watch tv.
Found the Bruins hockey game on espn2 that ended in a tie.
Then they played a 5 minute 4 on 4 overtime, again to a tie.

I am nearly the worst hockey fan out there, but didn't OT used to 20 minutes? (with a period length break between)?
If so, when did this rule take effect? (don't worry if this was changed years ago, last hockey game I went to was at the Met Stadium to watch the MN North Stars - about 22 years ago - LOL)

Or am I confusing this with something else and need to find some special herbs laying around Cleo's house?

only during the playoffs is the overtime 20:00 minutes long during the regular season overtime is 5:00 minutes of 4-4 they changed that a couple 3 years ago

Golden BC !?!?!?!? Too cool. I remember spending some real good times there, way way back in another era of history. I knew a girl named Enola Gay (no shit, that's what her parents named her) .. they owned the local soft drink distribution company, I think it was Pepsi/Canada Dry. Great place to visit! Love to go back there sometime.

Anyway, dare ... yah, that's right. The playoffs have 20 minute sudden death overtimes, for however many overtime periods it takes for someone to score. They can last 1 minute .. or 4 to 5 periods! After 7 hours of watching one game, you're begging for someone to score ... anyone, you don't care. LOL

In the regular season, there is a 5 minute sudden death 4-on-4 overtime period .. only one. As Krazytrain said, this started about 3 years ago. Sometimes it's the most exciting part of the whole game. |bananna|

So there you go ... a little piece of Canadiana ... now controlled by a bunch of pin-headed lawyers in New York |pissed|

As already said only in the playoffs do they NEED a winner. During the regular season, like football, winners are not needed so ties happen.

The reason for 4 on 4 is to get a game winning goal. That is why the NHL went to 4 on 4 and made it so both teams still get 1 point for the tie win OR lose in overtime. If a team scores in OT, then that team gets 2 points and the losing team still gets 1 point. Now teams actually try to score rather than "protect" the tie to keep their point making the OT more exciting.

Unless it is 2 teams in the same confence that are fighting for a playoff spot then it turns into a defensive battle again as neither team wants to give the other team the extra point