The IIHF Wants To Bring 3x3 Hockey To The 2030 Olympics

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The Summer Olympics already have 3x3 basketball, so why not throw some 3x3 hockey in the Winter Games?

I can't think of any reason not to, and neither can the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) because they're getting a proposal ready that could put the pared-down version of hockey in the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps.

According to the IIHF, adding 3x3 hockey would provide more opportunities for players to compete at the international level. We see this with 3x3 basketball too.

This wouldn't be the first time that 3x3 hockey made an appearance at a high-level international competition. The event was part of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

There, it was played only in one zone of a regular-sized sheet of ice with two nets placed along the side boards. However, the IIHF's proposal will call for a specialized ice pad should the event make the cut for the Olympics. 

According to the IIHF, their 3x3 women's series in Brazil used a rink that measured 26x18 meters (about 85x60 feet). A typical Olympic-sized sheet is 60x30 meters (about 200x100 feet).

3x3 hockey made an appearance at the 2020 Youth Olympics in Switzerland, however, it looked a little different than it would if it appears at the Olympics. (Photo by Iain McGuinness/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

I love this idea.

Now, anyone who has seen NHL overtime knows how this could be awesome… but it can also get pretty dull if both teams decide to turn the 3-on-3 overtime into a puck possession battle, which is more often than not the case, given that that's the preferred playbook these days.

However, playing on a smaller sheet, should solve that problem, and like the 3-on-3 overtime we're used to, players who can play with and without the pick are key.

I think we could see some really cool moments in 2030 if 3x3 hockey is on the program, plus, I think it would be fascinating to see what rosters would look like.

It still has a long way to go before 3x3 hockey is an Olympic sport, but I'm all for it.

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Matt is a University of Central Florida graduate and a long-suffering Philadelphia Flyers fan living in Orlando, Florida. He can usually be heard playing guitar, shoe-horning obscure quotes from The Simpsons into conversations, or giving dissertations to captive audiences on why Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.