3×3 hockey looks to the future

Hockey fans in Bracknell, England, could get a glimpse of the future this Sunday. The British town’s Ozone rink is hosting an IIHF 3×3 tournament designed to help develop a new format for a potential Olympic debut in 2030.

The four-team Intermotor Ozone 3×3 Test Event on April 14 brings pro players from Britain’s national championship into 3×3 action as the IIHF looks to build on the success of the U16 competitions at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne and the recent 2024 edition in Korea.
 

Now there’s a long-term plan to bring 3×3 hockey to the 2030 Winter Olympics in France.

“In Gangneung we had a lot of discussion with IOC members,” said IIHF Council Member Raeto Raffainer. “This is an interesting time because France will host in 2030 and our president, Luc Tardif, has a good relationship with the national organizing committee. We know that both sides are very interested in bringing 3×3 to the Olympics, and that’s where the energy behind this is coming from.”

Up to now, the IIHF has been involved in youth 3×3 tournaments for U16 players. The next step is to see how it works with adult players. A recent event in Latvia gave a glimpse of men’s 3×3, and this weekend’s competition will add to that experience.
The four teams competing in Bracknell will include pro players from Britain’s Elite League and NIHL, the top-two tiers of competition in the UK. There are also two clubs involved, Slough Jets and Cardiff Fire from the NIHL South, plus a Scottish select roster and a further select team backed by tournament streaming sponsor HiRef UK.

“We’ve been involved in 3×3 for a few years, but always with kids,” Raffainer added. “Now we have to try it with adult players. That’s why we pushed Ice Hockey UK to have the best available players at Sunday’s event. This isn’t just for amateurs, we have pros from the Elite League involved and we’re hoping the standard will be as high as possible.”

Spectators, who may only have seen 3×3 in overtime in a 5×5 game, will encounter something different. This is a fast, free-scoring form of hockey. At the Youth Olympic Games, the first three days of action produced an average of 16 goals per game. With each shift regulated by a 45-second timer, the action is relentless. For a hockey first-timer, it’s an exciting introduction to the game.

As a result, there’s a lot of interest from member national associations, particularly non-traditional hockey nations. One of the big…