Goals Against Average (GAA) Calculator

Compute a hockey goalie’s Goals Against Average (GAA) from goals against and minutes or games played. Supports custom game length, season splits, and comparison.

GAA Calculator

Use total minutes on ice (including overtime if desired).

Used when converting games played to minutes and when expressing GAA per game.

GAA (per 60 min)

0.00

Goals Against

0

Minutes Played

0

GAA (per game)

0.00

Assumes a full game is the regulation length you selected.

Estimated Games Played

0.0

Minutes played divided by regulation game length.

Compare Two Goalies or Season Splits

Quickly compare GAA for two different goalies, or for the same goalie in two different stretches of the season.

Goalie A

GAA A: 0.00

Goalie B

GAA B: 0.00

What is Goals Against Average (GAA)?

In hockey, Goals Against Average (GAA) measures how many goals a goalie allows per 60 minutes of play. It is one of the core stats used to evaluate goaltender performance, alongside save percentage.

Standard GAA formula

\[ \text{GAA} = \frac{\text{Goals Against}}{\text{Minutes Played}} \times 60 \]

The factor 60 comes from a standard 60-minute game. If your league uses a different regulation length, you can still use the same formula but replace 60 with your game length.

Using games played instead of minutes

If you only know how many games a goalie played, you can estimate minutes played by multiplying games by the regulation game length:

\[ \text{Minutes Played} \approx \text{Games Played} \times \text{Regulation Minutes per Game} \]

\[ \text{GAA} \approx \frac{\text{Goals Against}}{\text{Games Played} \times \text{Regulation Minutes}} \times 60 \]

This is what the “Use Games Played” tab in the calculator does automatically. For the most accurate result (especially with partial games or lots of overtime), use exact minutes played.

How to use the GAA calculator

  1. Choose your input mode. Use Minutes Played if you have detailed time-on-ice data, or Games Played if you only know full games.
  2. Enter goals against. Use the total number of goals allowed over the period you’re analyzing (game, month, season, etc.).
  3. Enter minutes or games played. Include overtime minutes if you want GAA to reflect total time on ice.
  4. Select regulation game length. 60 minutes is standard for NHL and most pro leagues, but you can choose or enter a custom value for youth or recreational leagues.
  5. Click “Calculate GAA”. The tool shows:
    • GAA per 60 minutes
    • GAA per game (based on your regulation length)
    • Estimated games played from minutes

Interpreting GAA values

As a rough guideline (exact benchmarks vary by league and era):

  • < 2.00 – Elite goaltending
  • 2.00 – 2.50 – Very strong
  • 2.50 – 3.00 – Average to decent
  • > 3.00 – Often indicates defensive issues or struggling goaltending

Remember that GAA is heavily influenced by the team’s defense and style of play. Always consider it together with save percentage, shot volume, and quality of chances.

GAA vs. Save Percentage

GAA answers: “How many goals does this goalie allow per 60 minutes?”
Save percentage answers: “What percentage of shots does this goalie stop?”

A goalie on a weak defensive team might have a higher GAA but still an excellent save percentage because they face many high-quality shots.

Frequently asked questions about GAA

Does overtime count in GAA?

Yes. Official stats usually include all minutes played, including overtime. If you want to mirror official numbers, make sure your minutes played includes overtime.

Can I use this calculator for other sports?

The math works for any sport where you want goals allowed per fixed time. Just replace 60 with the standard game length for your sport. However, the term “GAA” is most commonly used in hockey.

Why does my manual GAA not match league stats?

Common reasons include:

  • Using games instead of exact minutes played
  • Forgetting to include overtime minutes
  • Rounding differences (leagues often keep more internal precision)
  • Counting empty-net goals incorrectly (check your league’s rules)

Example GAA calculations

Example 1 – Single game

A goalie allows 3 goals in a 60-minute game:

\[ \text{GAA} = \frac{3}{60} \times 60 = 3.00 \]

Example 2 – Season total with overtime

Over a season, a goalie allows 120 goals in 2,800 minutes:

\[ \text{GAA} = \frac{120}{2800} \times 60 \approx 2.57 \]

Example 3 – Using games played

A youth goalie plays 20 games of 50 minutes each and allows 70 goals:

\[ \text{Minutes} = 20 \times 50 = 1000 \]

\[ \text{GAA} = \frac{70}{1000} \times 60 = 4.20 \]