Buffalo Hockey Marathon Sets World Record on 11th Day of Game

Rec-league hockey players in Buffalo set a record Monday for the longest hockey game ever recorded, coming in at nearly 11 full days in length.

According to an Associated Press report (h/t ESPN.com), the players set a record of 10 days, 10 hours, three minutes and 21 seconds just after 7 a.m. ET Monday. The game was scheduled to continue until 8 a.m. Monday after beginning at 9 p.m. on June 22.

Mike Arena of Spectrum News Buffalo shared video from the event:

Organized by Mike Lesakowski after his wife's diagnosis with breast cancer and his mother's death due to cancer, the game benefited Buffalo's Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Donations reached $1.179 million by the end of Sunday.

"We've raised over $1 million, right? And that's a pretty powerful thing to do," Lesakowski said on Thursday.  He also addressed the possibility of doing it again, saying, "The guys in Canada did it several times and they've raised a lot of money for similar good causes. So definitely not going to say never."

There were 40 players in total, each of whom finished the game. As is to be expected when a bunch of 40-somethings get together for a marathon sporting event, the contest was not without its fair share of injuries and illnesses.

A player named Nicholas Fattey suffered a broken nose, and goalie Ryan Martin went through a bout of strep throat.