Connor McDavid, the brightest superstar in the NHL, wouldn’t mind seeing a shootout replaced by an extra five minutes of 3-on-3 overtime.
The Edmonton Oilers captain might be up to something with this fun approach.
The 26-year-old appeared on Sportsnet’s tim and friends Thursday’s show and discussed a number of topics, including his stance on the shootout. While he wasn’t always willing to take criticism, the two-time Hart Trophy winner made no secret of how he feels about games being decided by a game of skill.
“Nobody likes a shootout,” McDavid said. “It’s a bad way to end a game.”
McDavid offered to play the naysayer, and he also mentioned that playing 10 minutes of overtime could be detrimental to players’ health because it would add to their already high regular-season workload. In the meantime, though, it might be worth the risk.
“At the end of the day, it’s also about the health and safety of the players,” McDavid said. “It’s been a long season. Overtime puts a burden on a lot of people. So the extension might have some impact.
“But I agree, nobody wants to see a game end in a shootout.”
The Oilers icon wasn’t the only one arguing for extended overtime either, with former NHL skater and current hockey analyst Kevin Bieksa doubling down on the No. 97 idea. Bieksa went further, suggesting that the NHL should reinstate the connection.
“This is the first one [time] I’ve actually thought about it, but I like 10 minutes of 3 on 3 [overtime] Then the shootout was called off,” explained Bieksa. “The penalty shootout started off as exciting because before that, we’d all ended in draws. We were like, ‘No, it’s not football. We want to see a winner.
“Then the shootout was great – it served its purpose. It had some aggressive explosions and [we] Must see some great moves. Right now I think it kind of fails and you have to keep evolving. I like 10 minute 3v3 games. “
The NHL took the lead in adopting 3-on-3 overtime before the 2015-16 season, and the playoffs continued to maintain 5-on-5 overtime.
Interestingly, the East Coast Hockey League’s 3-on-3 overtime shift to seven minutes ahead of the 2019-20 season didn’t eliminate penalty shootouts. It proved successful, with more matches ending with extra frames.
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