Most Overtime in NHL Stanley Cup Finals History – Boston vs. Chicago in 2013

June 15, 2013 by

Danielle Paille OT winner Game 2 Bruins vs Chicago

After 4 games of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Finals, the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks have played an extra 74:45 of overtime. which is the most in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history. 

 

Most Overtime Games in a Series

 In 1951 all 5 games of the Montreal vs. Toronto series ended in the first OT, with Toronto winning the series. That is the most overtime games in a single series in Stanley Cup Finals history, but not the most OT time.

Here's the breakdown of the OT in the series which totalled only 21:43:

  • Game 1 at Toronto Toronto 3 Canadiens 2 (05:51 OT)
  • Game 2 at Toronto Canadiens 3 Toronto 2 (02:55 OT)
  • Game 3 at Montreal Toronto 2 Canadiens 1 (04:47 OT)
  • Game 4  at Montreal Toronto 3 Canadiens 2 (05:15 OT)
  • Game 5 at Toronto Toronto 3 Canadiens 2 (02:53 OT)

So while it was the most OT games, it was not the most overtime played.

 

​​Most Overtime Play in Stanley Cup Finals Series History

The most overtime played in a series has mostly happened in the last 15 years. In the early days of the league, not many games ever made it to a 2nd OT. Here's the list of the most overtime play in Stanley Cup Finals History:

  1. 2013 – Boston vs. Chicago –  74:45 – After only 4 games these teams have played 74:45 of overtime which is the most in NHL history.
  2. 2000 – Dallas vs. New Jersey – 74:41 — NJ won the series in the 2nd OT of game 6. Game 5 was won by Dallas in the 3rd OT.
  3. 1999 – Dallas vs. Buffalo – 70:13 – Dallas won the series on in the 3rd OT of game 6 on a controversial (toe in the crease) goal by Brett Hull. Game 1 also went into OT.

 

Longest Series in Stanley Cup History

With some data missing we can't say for sure which series was the longest, but we can identify the likely 2 longest series:

  1. 1950 – Red Wings vs. Rangers – 7 games plus 38:13 OT – Game 4 had 8:04 of OT, Game 5 1:38 of OT  and game 7 was 2 OT with 28:31 of play making this the longest series in NHL history. It was an epic series where Red Wing star Gordie Howe was injured in game 1 and did not return. Most people wrote Detroit off, but they rallied to win games 6 and 7 to win the Cup.
  2. 2004 – Tampa Bay vs. Calgary – 7 games plus 35:07 OT – after losing game 5 in OT to go down in the series 3-2, Tampa Bay won game 6 in 2 OT and won game 7 to win the Cup.

So if the Bruins vs. Blackhawks series goes 7 games, it will be the longest series in NHL history as they have already played the most overtime in history. They even have a chance to do it in 6 games with more OT in game 5 and 6 games. They would need about 19 more minutes in OT to do it in 6 games.

Filed Under: NHL