LATEST | Players come together and demand a change in overtime

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S. Harper
February 4, 2023 (9:51)

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With all 32 teams currently in Florida for the 2023 NHL All-Star weekend, many of the NHL's top players are getting interviewed by the media.

One question that always gets asked is : how can the NHL improve? That's when Oilers captain Connor McDavid stepped in and shared his views on something, lots of players, coaches, and fans agree on.

McDavid suggested that the League should extend the length of the League's 3-on-3 overtime to help reduce the number of games ending in a shootout. Though shootouts are fun to watch, it's not the way teams want to lose. Especially with how close teams are in points. Imagine missing the playoffs by a point due to a shootout loss. It has happened and it sucks. Hopefully they can change this.

Players have started to come together on this and Anaheim Ducks all-star Troy Terry also added on the matter :

"The 3-on-3 overtime as a whole is great for this sport. It's fun for us. It feels more like hockey than going to the shootout."

One point that came back more often than not was the fact that shootouts are an individual skill contest whereas the game is meant to be played as a team. Pittsburgh Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan didn't fail to point it out :

"Any time you have an opportunity to decide the outcome of the game in a team atmosphere, I think it's more indicative of the fabric of the game. The shootout, I know it's exciting and there's an entertainment value there, but for me, it's deciding the outcome of a baseball game with a home run derby."

Comparing the shootouts to a Home run Derby may be extreme, but you get the point. Vladimir Tarasenko on his end compared the shootouts to a lottery since there's a certain randomness to it, a stat that really resonated was that the NHL all-time second goal scorer Alex Ovechkin only cashes in on fewer than a third of his shootout attempts.

The NHL's viewing numbers are down 22% in the United States, all of that while the scoring is reaching new peaks in the modern era. The NHL absolutely needs a change, could a longer overtime get it done? 3-on-3 surely is exciting, don't you think?

Credit:TSN.CA