Much of the talk in Canadian youth hockey circles these days is about how 3-on-3 is likely to be the format for the 20-21 season, assuming there is any kind of season at all. Hockey Quebec, I believe, has already disseminated information indicating this is one of their fallback strategies if public health authorities maintain strict rules about physical distancing and the number of people permitted to congregate. 3-on-3 could conceivably work, since the proposed roster size is 6 skaters + 1 goalie. 3 skaters on the bench can maintain the 6 foot physical distancing requirement and locker room management is also doable, at least in most facilities.
The 3-on-3 game itself? I’m a proponent of the format at the youth level and have been for a long time. The pluses? Nobody sits on the bench for very long, positions are fluid, systems are virtually non-existent, wannabe bench-maestro coaches are gone, goalies actually play the puck, and the game is almost taken back to its pond hockey roots, which young kids quickly love. There are negatives — increased cost being the most obvious — but in my view they are outweighed by the positives.
At the pro level, I’ll reserve judgment largely because I’m not so sure the 3ice “PGA Tour” style tournament setup is going to fly. I could see the league becoming a Harlem Globetrotters travelling circus playing in (post-coronavirus) empty buildings unless fans are given reasons to follow “their hometown team,” which doesn’t appear to be part of the plan. How many people will buy tickets to watch a single weekend of tournament-style 3-on-3 hockey in the middle of July? That’s the big question.