Hockey fans will tell you that there is only one thing better than playoff hockey: overtime playoff hockey. Since playoff hockey games can’t end in a shootout (or a tie back in the day), the ten longest games in the history of the sport have all been of the playoff variety. The majority of them have lasted longer than an average Kevin Costner movie, and that’s saying something.
10. April 18, 1987 – New York Islanders 3, Washington Capitals 2
Making things even that much better for the paying customer was the fact that this was Game 7 of the Islanders-Capitals opening round playoff series. Dubbed the “Easter Epic” because the game actually ended on Easter Sunday despite starting on Saturday night, the teams played 68 minutes and 47 seconds of overtime hockey alone before New York’s Pat LaFontaine’s slapshot got past Washington goalie Bob Mason for the win. (Photo credit: Bruce Bennett Studios/Getty Images)
9. March 28, 1930 – Montreal Canadiens 2, New York Rangers 1
Fans were actually “disgusted” with the fact that it took almost 69 minutes of extra hockey to decide the first game of the best-of-three semifinal. Montreal’s Gus Rivers beat Rangers goalie John Ross in the fourth overtime period, and Montreal wouldn’t lose a game in this series or the next to claim Lord Stanley’s Cup. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
8. May 4, 2008 – Dallas Stars 2, San Jose Sharks 1
We’re assuming a lot of people in Dallas didn’t make it to the office on May 5 because of this puppy. The game lasted a total of 129 minutes and three seconds and ended early Monday morning when Brenden Morrow beat San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov on a power play and propelled the Stars into the Western Conference Finals. (Photo credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
7. March 23, 1943 – Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Detroit Red Wings 2
The Leafs and Red Wings played more than 70 minutes of overtime hockey in this epic game before Toronto’s Jack McLean scored the game-winner. Toronto would win the game, but the Red Wings would win the series and the Cup. (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
6. April 11, 2007 – Vancouver Canucks 5, Dallas Stars 4
In the first game of their opening round playoff series, the Stars and Canucks combined for eight goals in the first 54 minutes of play. They went more than 84 minutes without scoring another before Henrik Sedin – on an assist from his identical twin brother Daniel – beat Marty Turco for the game-winner. Vancouver goalie Robert Luongo set a record for most shots faced in a playoff game. That was a much better showing than his next overtime appearance, where he missed three minutes of the period because of diarrhea. (Photo credit: Richard Rees/Getty Images)
5. April 24, 1996 – Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Washington Capitals 2
The great Mario Lemieux was actually ejected in this one for fighting and slashing, and that’s lame. I mean, who ejects Mario Lemieux in a playoff game? Six periods later and at the 139:15 mark of the game, only a few thousand fans left in the stands witnessed Pittsburgh’s Petr Nedved notch a power play goal and even the best-of-seven conference quarterfinals series at two games apiece. (Photo credit: YouTube)
4. April 24, 2003 – Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 4, Dallas Stars 3
Yup, when Disney still owned the Ducks, that was their real name. The Ducks swept the defending champion Red Wings in their opening round series and then kicked this series off with an epic five-overtime victory that saw more than two hours, forty minutes of ice time. The Ducks would win the game, the series and damn near the Cup, losing to New Jersey in seven games. (Photo credit: Brian Bahr/Getty Images/NHL)
3. May 4, 2000 – Philadelphia Flyers 2, Pittsburgh Penguins 1
More than 152 minutes of ice time was needed for these two rivals to settle Game 3 of the 2000 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Philadelphia’s Keith Primeau’s goal at the 12:01 mark of the fifth overtime period sealed it for the Flyers, and they would go on to win the next two games as well. But if it makes Penguins fans feel any better, the Flyers would blow a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals against New Jersey. (Photo credit: YouTube)
2. April 3, 1933 – Toronto Maple Leafs 1, Boston Bruins 0
Eighty years before Boston beat Toronto in an epic Game 7 overtime thriller, fans waited what must have felt like 80 years just to see one goal in this game. It took 164 minutes, 46 seconds of ice time before Toronto’s Ken Doraty found the net in the sixth overtime period. The winning shot sent the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Finals, which must have sent the dozens of fans remaining into a frenzy. (Photo credit: Hockey Then & Now)
1. March 24, 1936 – Detroit Red Wings 1, Montreal Maroons 0
Even crazier than a team having the nickname “Maroons” is the name of the guy who scored the only goal in this famous overtime game: Mud Bruneteau. The two teams played more than 176 minutes of scoreless hockey in Game 1 of the first round before Brunteau slipped one past the goalie in the sixth overtime period. If the people of Montreal were “disgusted” about four overtimes three years earlier, then they probably needed a curse word to describe this one. (Photo credit: UPI/Imageslides)
