GAA in hockey stands for Goals Against Average , a stat that measures how many goals a goalie allows per 60 minutes of play.

Quick Scoop: What GAA Means

  • GAA is the average number of goals a goaltender gives up in one full game (60 minutes).
  • It’s one of the main numbers you see next to a goalie’s name, along with save percentage, wins, and shutouts.
  • A lower GAA is better : it means the goalie allows fewer goals on average.

Simple example

If a goalie plays the equivalent of 60 minutes and allows 2 goals, their GAA for that stretch is 2.00.

How GAA Is Calculated (In Plain Terms)

The core idea: adjust goals allowed to a standard 60‑minute game. Common hockey formula:

  • Take total goals against (GA)
  • Adjust for how many minutes the goalie actually played
  • Scale that to 60 minutes

In formula form, this is usually written as:

  • GAA = (Goals Against × 60) ÷ Minutes Played

This does the same thing as dividing GA by (Minutes Played ÷ 60).

So if a goalie has allowed 90 goals in 2,700 minutes:

  • GAA = (90 × 60) ÷ 2,700 = 2.00

Extra Nuggets Fans Care About

  • GAA is goalie-focused : it only counts goals that happened while that goalie was actually in net.
  • Goals scored in shootouts do not count against a goalie’s GAA in hockey.
  • GAA is used not just in ice hockey but also in other goalie sports like field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.

Why It’s a Big Deal Today

  • Analysts and broadcasters still lean on GAA as a quick snapshot of a goalie’s season.
  • Modern discussions often pair GAA with save percentage and newer advanced stats, because GAA is influenced by team defense as well as the goalie.

In forum threads, fans often say: “Save percentage tells you how well the goalie stops shots; GAA tells you how often the puck actually ends up in the net over a game.”

TL;DR: GAA in hockey means Goals Against Average — the average number of goals a goalie allows per 60 minutes of play, where a lower number is better.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.