IIHF Boss Defends 3-On-3 Overtime Following Complaints After Gold Medal Game
IIHF president says scheduling restrictions make 3-on-3 the way to go.
Now that the Olympic men's hockey final is in the books, the postmortems have begun, and one of the biggest targets has been 3-on-3 overtime.
However, the International Ice Hockey Federation says it's not going anywhere.
After they had their hearts ripped out of their chests, stomped on, and then blasted in the face by the majestic soaring guitar lead of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird" after Jack Hughes' golden goal to clinch the US's first men's hockey gold since 1980, Canadian fans had to turn their ire somewhere.
Sure, as Nathan MacKinnon pointed out, the Canadians were the better team for most of the game.
Unfortunately, they weren't better at stuffing pucks in yawning cages, though.
So, the target of their frustration became the fact that the Olympics decides its medalists using 3-on-3 overtime as opposed to 5-on-5.
Team USA's Jack Hughes' game-winner in the gold medal game has led to criticism of the 3-on-3 overtime format, but it doesn't sound like it's going anywhere. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
They do have a point. Even the NHL, which popularized 3-on-3 as a way of increasing the excitement in overtime and reducing shootouts, doesn't use it in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
However, that point holds less water when you remember that everyone knew the rules going into the tournament. Also, the fact that 3-on-3 favored the quicker, more skilled Canadians, and Sidney Crosby's Golden Goal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics was scored in 4-on-4 overtime, not 5-a-side.
Yet, no complaints.
No complaints after they beat Czechia in overtime during the quarterfinals either.
READ: NATHAN MACKINNON, JON COOPER WERE COPING HARD AFTER LOSING GOLD TO TEAM USA
But, as I said, the criticism is fair if you make it ahead of time, and not after you got handed silver medals and stuffed weasels.
So, there's plenty of time to get 3-on-3 axed from future Olympics, starting with 2030 in the French Alps, right?
Wrong.
"It's the best rules to fit in a tight schedule," IIHF president Luc Tardif said, per Sportsnet. "We have to figure out 30 games in 11 days for men, and for the women 28 games in 13 days — 58 (games) altogether in 16 days. ... Huge challenge."
That's true too.
As I said, I get the complaint, but personally, I can't stand when someone loses and blames the rules after the fact.
Everyone knew the format coming in, plus the US and Canadian women's teams played a gold medal game that ended in OT with the same format.
If you weren't prepared enough, that's on you.
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Furthermore, if you watch that Jack Hughes goal, the Canadians blew it on their own with probably the biggest gaffe of the entire game.
Two players crashed into each other and ended up behind the play.
Then, Cale Makar — one of, if not the best, defenseman in the NHL — dropped what might be the most low-effort backcheck I've ever seen in my life.
Did the 3-on-3 overtime make him move up ice like he was doing some laps at a public skate?
Of course not.
But it's just easier to blame.