May 20--The Blackhawks' longest time was a long time coming. Their 116-minute- 12-second, triple-overtime victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday broke an 84-year-old record for the longest game in franchise history (113 minutes and 50 seconds in a Stanley Cup Finals win against Montreal on April 9, 1931).
That got us thinking long and, um, long about other marathon games that involved Chicago sports teams.
BEARS
Longest game (by real time): 5 hours, 16 minutes
A game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 17, 2013, dragged out because of a nearly two-hour delay caused by severe storms (a Bears spokesman said the team can't verify the duration of other delayed games in team history but considers this game as likely their longest). Robbie Gould secured the 23-20 home win with a 38-yard field goal in overtime.
Longest game (by game time): 74 minutes and 51 seconds
The Bears also won on an overtime field goal -- this one a 28-yarder by Bob Thomas at Giants Stadium -- on Dec. 18, 1977, against the New York Giants.
BULLS
Longest game: 3 hours, 24 minutes
The Bulls beat the Portland Trailblazers in a four-overtime battle on March 16, 1984. Their longest game in regulation lasted two hours and 48 minutes, a 107-102 victory over Detroit on Feb. 10, 2009.
CUBS
Longest game (by time): 6 hours, 27 minutes
The Cubs outlasted the Rockies for 16 innings in the 4-3 victory on July 29, but what's also notable is that backup catcher John Baker pitched the last frame and also scored the winning run. The game ended at 1:32 a.m. The Cubs' previous marathon mark was six hours and 10 minutes on August 17-18, 1982, when the Dodgers 2-1 in 21 innings.
Longest game (by innings): 22
The Cubs beat the Boston Braves 4-3 on May 17, 1927.
WHITE SOX
Longest game (by time and innings): 8 hours, 6 minutes; 25 innings
The game between the White Sox and Brewers was suspended on May 8, 1984, and resumed the next day, and the Sox won 7-6. Harold Baines finally homered with one out in the bottom of the 25th inning to end the longest game in Major League baseball (by length of time) and set an American League record for innings.
SKY
Longest game: 2 hours, 43 minutes
The Sky took the Connecticut Sun to two overtimes before closing them out 107-101 on June 23, 2011. Epiphanny Prince scored 10 of the Sky's 15 points in the second overtime to help Chicago past Renee Montgomery (33 points) and the Sun.
FIRE
Longest game (game play): 120 minutes postseason; 100 minutes regular season
The way Major League Soccer games are structured postseason games can last a maximum of 120 minutes and regular season games go no longer than 100 minutes, according to league historian and statistician Rick Lawes. Stoppage time is not recorded in the official box score.
Taking that into account, the Fire have gone 100 minutes 23 times, the last time on Oct. 1, 2003, at Colorado, a 1-1 tie. Fire playoff games have reached the 120-minute maximum seven times, the last time on Nov. 14, 2009, at Toyota Park, a scoreless tie with Salt Lake after 90 minutes of regulation time and another 30 minutes of extra time. Real won 5-4 in a penalty kick shootout.
Longest game (real time): 3 hours, 22 minutes
That's the official time for the 1-1 tie against the Houston Dynamo at Toyota Park on April 15, 2012, and includes a 70-minute delay because of lightning. Actual play only lasted 66 minutes. So by comparison, the Blackhawks game lasted four hours and 52 minutes in real time.
The Fire's longest postseason game in real time -- a 5-4 loss on penalty kicks to Real Salt Lake on Nov. 14, 2009 -- clocked in at two hours, 48 minutes.
