Have you ever wondered how long a player plays in the NHL? We all know that it is difficult to get one game in that league, but once there how long do guys actually last?
How many years does the average hockey player play? The average NHL player plays on average 4.5 years. However, when looking at the data in detail the top 25% of players played an average of 12 years, whereas the bottom 75% played an average of 2 years.
Now there is a lot that goes into figuring out what the average length of a career is so let’s dig into the numbers.
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The data and method used to reach the average length of an NHL career
In coming up with the average length of an NHL career there are a lot of variables and questions that come up:
- Does a player count as playing in the NHL for 10 years if they play only one game each year?
- How many games does a player need to play to consider playing in a year?
- There is a big gap of games played between the top players and the guys on the bottom who only played one game – how do you account for that?
As some of these (and other) questions swirled around in my mind here is how I approached the question to get a (somewhat) accurate picture using the available data:
- Data collected was based on the draft year of the player and was based on 10 years of the draft from 1998-2007
- The majority of these drafts no longer have players playing in the NHL and are the closest dates to the current year
- The few drafts that do have current players only have a dozen at most and will not alter the collective in any meaningful way
- The data only includes drafted players and not players signed as free agents – this would be more difficult to collect and the sample size of players was already deemed large enough
- The data does not include goalies, because goalies play a significant amount of games less than skaters
- A season is defined as 70 games, which accounts for injuries, healthy scratches, and being sent to the minors. Therefore, a player could have played 70 games over 5 seasons in actuality, but it will only count for 1 season in our analysis. As in most of life these things tend to even out and 70 seems to be a good bar to stick with.
Now let’s look at the number (stats source: hockeydb)
| Draft Year | Number of Players Who Played in NHL | Average Games/Player | Median Games/Player | Highest Total Games Played by One Player | Top 25% Players average/game | Bottom 75% Players average/game |
|---|
| 1998 | 122 | 336 | 164 | 1212 | 911 | 148 |
| 1999 | 98 | 265 | 132 | 1330 | 771 | 101 |
| 2000 | 106 | 298 | 81 | 1264 | 901 | 116 |
| 2001 | 108 | 339 | 198 | 1148 | 876 | 162 |
| 2002 | 91 | 352 | 207 | 1240 | 861 | 136 |
| 2003 | 119 | 385 | 242 | 1250 | 970 | 190 |
| 2004 | 113 | 310 | 207 | 1158 | 800 | 150 |
| 2005 | 100 | 304 | 142 | 1081 | 819 | 133 |
| 2006 | 78 | 341 | 196 | 1074 | 716 | 156 |
| 2007 | 93 | 301 | 154 | 983 | 766 | 156 |
| Averages | 102 | 323 | 172 | 1174 | 839 | 144 |
The first thing to look at is the average games a player has played in the NHL and it is 323 games or given our ‘70 game’ season that would work out to 4.5 seasons. Fairly simple, right?
Well, if you look at the median, which is the number directly in the middle of your sample – ie if you had 100 players to look at the median would be the 50th player – you get a different picture. When you look at the Median of the players throughout the years it is 172 games played or about 2.5 years.
When the median differs significantly from the average (172 to 323) you need to assume that the data is skewed in some direction – so we need to dig a little deeper.
So what do we find when we dig a little deeper?
Well, looking at the raw numbers it was obvious that there were a few guys at the top who played a lot of games, and a bunch of guys at the bottom who had played, comparatively, only a few.
I divided the groups into the top 25% of games played and the bottom 75% of games played. This highlighted a significant difference between the players at the top and the bottom of the league.
The top 25% played on average 839 games or 12 years in the league, whereas the bottom 75 played an average of 144 games or 2 years in the league. This is quite the difference.
Furthermore, if you look at the numbers another way the top 25% of players in a draft year who end up playing in the NHL play 66% of the available games versus 33% for the other 75%
So, what can we say about the average length of an NHL career?
I think that it is okay to say that the average NHL player plays 4.5 years in the hockey.
I think that it is way more accurate to say the really good players play a lot, and everyone else gets a warm cup of coffee in the NHL.
When you go back and look through the names in each of the seasons from the drafts that were used you will certainly recognize some of the names in the bottom 75%, but there are many more thoughts of ‘who is that?’.
When you look at the top 25% of players the first few players will stand out as all-stars, hall-of-famers, but after that you quickly get into players that we would probably label as average NHL players who would play 7 to 10 years in the league.
So I think that the most accurate statement to make about how long a player plays in the NHL is: most of those who make it will play for a year or two, a regular player will play about 7 to 10 years, and the all-stars play for 12 to 15 years.
Conclusion
So we all knew that it was hard to make it to the NHL, but now we also know that once you get there it is also extremely hard to play a lot of games in the league. If you make it to the league you are more than likely to play less then 2 years.
Even if you play the average of 4.5 years that a player ‘typically’ gets you are doing above average.
This goes to highlight how impressive the level of play is for those players who manage to play in the league for any significant amount of time.
Really, anyone who plays 600 or 700 games plus has had a phenomenal hockey career.
FAQs
The average NHL player plays on average 4.5 years. However, when looking at the data in detail the top 25% of players played an average of 12 years, whereas the bottom 75% played an average of 2 years.
How long is the average NHL player on the ice? ›
The average NHL shift is about 45 seconds long. This time seems to be the sweet spot. 45 seconds allows players to be on the ice long enough to ensure they can maintain a maximum intensity of play without decreasing their performance.
What is the average retire age in the NHL? ›
That means the average professional athlete will likely retire before they hit age 30; according to the RBC research, the average retirement age for MLB players is 29.5, followed by 28.2 for players in the NHL, 28 for NBA players, and 27.6 for NFL players.
Who has had the longest NHL career? ›
From 1961 until being surpassed by Marleau on April 19, 2021, the record for most games played was held by Gordie Howe, who played 1,767 games.
Who had the shortest NHL career? ›
Randy Exelby's NHL career consisted of three minutes of ice time with the Montreal Canadiens and 60 minutes with the Edmonton Oilers.
How long do NHL players sleep? ›
Hockey players find themselves in the 1-2 hour range (for the most part), and some have it down even more precise than that.
How often do they clean the ice in NHL? ›
The ice teams have roughly 30 to 45 fewer seconds to clean the surface than a baseball grounds crew has to manicure an infield and pitching mound between innings, and they do so at least nine times every game — three times each period, at the first whistle after the 14-, 10- and six-minute marks — and again, if ...
How cold is an NHL rink? ›
Well, the ice needs to stay frozen, but, depending on the venue, it might not be all that cold where you're sitting. It's going to be cooler the closer to the ice you are. Generally speaking, the ice will be about 25° and the air, for an inside game, will be somewhere between 50 and 60°.
Do retired hockey players get a pension? ›
About The Plan
Players earn one quarter of a year's benefits for every 20 credited games, and they are vested in their benefits as soon as they earn them. A player who has earned 10 full years of benefits will have earned the maximum benefit payable by law.
Who is the oldest player in the NHL to retire? ›
The oldest player in league history is Gordie Howe, who played his final NHL game for the Hartford Whalers on April 11, 1980, at 52 years of age.
The oldest player in NHL history is Gordie Howe (Canada, b. 31 March 1928), who played his final NHL game on 11 April 1980 aged 52 years 11 days.
Which NHL team has most retired? ›
The Montreal Canadiens, one of the oldest professional sports franchises in North America, have a very storied past of success. They have honoured 18 players by taking their 15 jersey numbers out of circulation (three players shared the same number). The Canadiens have the most retired numbers of any NHL team.
Who has gone the longest without a Stanley Cup? ›
The longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history belongs to the Toronto Maple Leafs (54 seasons), breaking a tie with the New York Rangers. New York ended their drought in 1994, while Toronto's drought is still active, as they have not made the Finals since winning the last Stanley Cup before the expansion era.
Who is the longest goalie with one team? ›
1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit, 1,564.
How much does a NHL referee get paid? ›
According to FanBuzz, on average, a full-time NHL referee gets paid anywhere from $165,000 - $360,000 annually. This is approximately 10 percent of the average annual salary of an NHL player, who makes about $3 million per year.
What is the longest NHL shift ever? ›
In the @NJDevils loss vs the Islanders, Jack Hughes finished the game with a 6:02 shift. That is the longest recorded shift in NHL history.
Who is the biggest guy in the NHL? ›
Standing 2.04 m (6 ft 9 in) tall, defenceman Zdeno Chara (Slovakia) of the Boston Bruins (USA) is the tallest player in NHL history.
Do NHL players shower between periods? ›
Some players will take a shower during the intermission to feel revitalized for the upcoming period. Other players choose to meditate, closing their eyes, staying silent and visualizing their success for the remainder of the game.
What do NHL players drink? ›
BioSteel is the Official Sports Drink of the NHL (CNW Group/BioSteel Sports Nutrition Inc.) BioSteel's Clean. Healthy. Hydration.
Do NHL players share rooms on the road? ›
The collective-bargaining agreement now rules that only players on three-year, entry-level contracts have roommates. After that, every player gets his own room on the road.
NHL Service
Full Service: You've been in the league for ten years and have received 82 games per season for pension purposes. If you reach this threshold, you will receive the maximum pension benefit, currently $255,000 per year.
What is the peak age for NHL? ›
Indeed, NHL players tend to reach peak performance by their mid-late 20s, 18 7-10 years after these data were collected.
How long did Wayne Gretzky play? ›
He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999.
What do NHL players do after retirement? ›
Most of them will go on to pursue secondary careers after their time spent playing the sport comes to an end — such as joining a coaching staff to stay close to the game. NHL players are entitled to a retirement pension that is dependent on a variety of factors — such as games and years played.
Do NHL players get their own hotel room? ›
The collective-bargaining agreement now rules that only players on three-year, entry-level contracts have roommates. After that, every player gets his own room on the road. Poulin doesn't think that's a good thing.
Do NHL players get paid after they retire? ›
About The Plan
Players earn one quarter of a year's benefits for every 20 credited games, and they are vested in their benefits as soon as they earn them. A player who has earned 10 full years of benefits will have earned the maximum benefit payable by law.
What age is too late to play hockey? ›
If you're someone who is asking if you're too old to start playing hockey, and you can still stand and carry your equipment, the answer is no! No matter what age you begin at, no matter how old you might be, if you've got the drive and determination to put some effort into hockey, you can do it.
At what age do NHL players start to decline? ›
Rob Vollman summarizes this quite well in his book Stat Shot: The Ultimate Guide to Hockey Analytics: “Most players hit their peak age by age 24 or 25 then decline gradually until age 30, at which point their performance can begin to tumble more noticeably with the risk of absolute collapse by age 34 or 35.”
What are the odds of a kid making it to the NHL? ›
When it comes to boys who play hockey, the chances are about 1-in-1,000 of playing one NHL game. But even when you get to the elite levels such as major junior hockey, the odds are still against you. The fact is that players who play at that level basically have less than a 1-in-5 chance to play a game in the NHL.
