GAA Calculator (Goals Against Average)

Enter the goals a goaltender allowed and the minutes they played to compute their Goals Against Average — the goals conceded per full game.

Quick Facts

Formula
GAA = (goals against × game length) ÷ minutes played
Game length is 60 minutes for ice hockey. Empty-net goals are excluded.

Your Results

Calculated
Goals Against Average
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Goals allowed per full game
Goals per minute
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Rate of goals conceded
Full games played
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Minutes ÷ game length
Benchmark
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Ice-hockey interpretation

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Enter goals against and minutes played, then calculate.

About Goals Against Average (GAA)

Goals Against Average, abbreviated GAA (or sometimes GA/60), is the primary rate statistic used to measure a goaltender's performance in ice hockey, and it is also used in field lacrosse, box lacrosse, and some soccer contexts. It answers a simple question: on average, how many goals does this goaltender allow over the course of a full game? Because it normalizes for how much a goalie actually played, it lets you fairly compare a starter who plays 3,000+ minutes a season against a backup who plays only a few hundred.

The formula

GAA is computed as:

GAA = (goals against × game length in minutes) ÷ minutes played

For ice hockey a regulation game is 60 minutes, so the formula is usually written GAA = goals against × 60 ÷ minutes played. Multiplying by the game length is what converts a raw goals-per-minute rate into a per-game figure. For example, a goalie who allows 2 goals across 45 minutes has a GAA of (2 × 60) ÷ 45 = 2.67, even though they only conceded 2 goals, because they were only on the ice for three-quarters of a game.

Why minutes played matters

The denominator is minutes actually in net, not games listed on the schedule. A goalie who is pulled after 20 minutes, or who enters in relief midway through a period, is only charged for the time they played. Over a season, minutes are summed across all appearances: a goalie with 40 goals against in 1,500 minutes has a season GAA of 40 × 60 ÷ 1,500 = 1.60. Empty-net goals scored after the goaltender has been pulled are not counted against them, and shootout goals are excluded entirely because the shootout is a tiebreaker, not part of regulation or overtime play.

Reference points

  • Under 2.00: Elite, league-leading territory in the modern NHL. Season leaders frequently finish between 1.90 and 2.20.
  • 2.00–2.50: A very good, clearly above-average season for a starting goaltender.
  • 2.50–3.00: Solid, roughly league-average in recent seasons.
  • Above 3.00: Below average by today's standards, though this was common and even good in the high-scoring 1980s.

Because scoring levels change over time and vary by league, GAA is era- and league-dependent: a 2.80 GAA means something very different in a low-scoring era than in a high-scoring one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the formula for Goals Against Average?
GAA = (goals against × game length in minutes) ÷ minutes played. For ice hockey the game length is 60 minutes, so GAA = goals against × 60 ÷ minutes played. A goalie who allows 3 goals in a full 60-minute game has a GAA of exactly 3.00.
What counts as a good GAA?
In the modern NHL, a season GAA under 2.50 is very good and league leaders are often near or below 2.00. The interpretation is era-dependent: 1980s scoring was far higher, so a 3.00 GAA then was strong. GAA also reflects team defense, penalty killing, and shot quality faced, not just the goaltender's own skill.
Do empty-net and shootout goals count toward GAA?
No. Goals scored into an empty net after the goaltender has been pulled are not charged against the goalie. Shootout goals are also excluded, because the shootout is a separate tiebreaking procedure rather than part of regulation or overtime. Only goals allowed while the goaltender is in net during regulation and overtime count.
How is GAA different from save percentage?
GAA measures goals allowed per full game; save percentage (SV%) measures the fraction of shots stopped. GAA depends on how many shots a goalie faces, so a goalie behind a leaky defense can post a high GAA despite a strong save percentage. Many analysts consider SV% a better isolated measure of goaltender skill, and use GAA alongside it rather than instead of it.

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