Photo © Rabbitfish | Dreamstime.com
Small-sided play is big news on the tournament scene so it shouldn’t be too surprising that ice hockey is the latest sport to debut its own discipline.
What might be surprising is the fact that the International Ice Hockey Federation wants to see it in the Olympics as soon as 2030 when the Games come to the French Alps.
Inside The Games reported that at the recent IIHF semi-annual congress in Rhodes, Greece, President Luc Tardif announced the imminent proposal to introduce 3-on-3 ice hockey at the Winter Olympics, potentially starting in 2030.
Tardif noted that other sports that have successfully added condensed formats to the Olympics; these have included 3x3 basketball and rugby sevens.
Additionally, the new format for lacrosse (sixes), will debut in Los Angeles in 2028.
The IIHF has already tested 3-on-3 hockey at the Youth Winter Olympics, first in Switzerland in 2020 and again this year in South Korea. Now, the concept of 3-on-3 ice hockey for both men’s and women’s tournaments at the Olympics is under serious consideration.
The IIHF rules for 3-on-3 hockey note that in each 3-on-3 tournament, the eight teams are in single groups with two matches played at the same time in each end-zone of the rink, with matches being played cross-ice. Players play three periods of 16 minutes, with two-minute intervals.
Some rules may be changed for Olympic play, should the sport be introduced. Worth noting: Currently, the NHL and IIHF use 3-on-3 during overtime so this is something that would not be an entirely foreign concept.
The advantage of small-sided sports, whether in soccer, lacrosse, basketball, field hockey or anywhere else, is that developing players learn to play both offense and defense, have less running and get more touches on the ball. Additionally, small-sided play formats are appealing to adults who previously played in high school or college, and who would like to continue in their sport – but lack the ability to find enough players for a full team.
“I think adults are a huge underserved market,” noted Travis Tew, founder of the Warrior Soccer Tour, which puts on 5-on-5 tournaments in markets nationwide. Additionally, he noted, adults may not be able to run on full-size fields, so the smaller formats are even more appealing.
Small-sided ice hockey is already at work in practices and drills, with leagues and programs dotting the country. However, getting buy-in on a pro level has been uneven at best. In the USA, 3ICE, a professional 3-on-3 hockey league, launched in 2022, but, according to Sports Business Journal, cancelled its 2024 season with the promise of returning in the summer of 2025.
SBJ notes that Major League Hockey, another 3-on-3 hockey league also announced its plans to debut in fall of 2024. The plans were ambitious, with franchises in 16 North American markets and a $30M salary cap. SBJ notes, “Reports about the proposed league have elicited both intrigue and skepticism in pro hockey circles.”
Major League Hockey put its opening season plans on ice, however, and the website now claims it will start in October of 2025.
About the Author
