Mon, 04 May 2026 14:07:59 +0000

Why Hockey’s Quarters Look Wildly Different from Basketball—Here’s What They Really Are When watching sports, hockey and basketball fans often notice something striking: hockey games are divided into periods called "quarters," though they can feel very different from basketball’s four quarter system. While both sports use timed breaks to structure play, hockey’s format is uniquely designed around fast-paced, continuous action—and those quarters aren’t simply equal time segments like in basketball. Understanding how hockey’s time structure really works reveals why it looks wildly different—and far more dynamic. ### The Structure: Quarters vs. Quarters Mess More Than Just Time In basketball, four 12-minute quarters create a predictable rhythm: teams switch ends after each, plays flow in short bursts within each segment, and coaches strategically adjust rhythm every 15 minutes. By contrast, hockey’s regulation period is divided into three 20-minute “periods”, not four automatic quarters. Though sometimes colloquially referred to as “quarters,” hockey’s structure is fundamentally different in timing, flow, and strategic function.