3ICE
When the NHL debuted its 3-on-3 overtime rules in 2015, it was one of the best new addition to the game in recent years. The popularity of the backyard-style extra period has sparked the creation of a new league that will center itself around the success of the overtime format. 3ICE, which will debut on June 20, 2021, is expected to take its 3-on-3 concept to nine cities around North America next summer.
There hasn’t been any indication about who will play in the league, but if it can mirror even half of the success that Ice Cube’s Big 3 basketball league has seen, it could be a really fun addition to the hockey world. While the competitors are still up in the air, 3ICE has locked down an All-Star group of coaches. Literally.
Six of the league’s eight teams will be led by Bryan Trottier, Grant Fuhr, Guy Carbonneau, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy and Angela Ruggiero— all Hockey Hall of Famers— and each roster will feature six skaters and one goalie. With Ruggiero as one of the coaches, the assumption is that the league will feature both male and females skaters. Though that thought isn’t confirmed, getting players like Hilary Knight, Marie-Philip Poulin, or Kendall Coyne in the open ice could be really fun.
3ICE has cut its list of potential cities down to 13 and includes Boston, Buffalo, Las Vegas, Nashville, Minneapolis, and Columbus from the United States. The league is also considering Toronto and Quebec, as well as Hershey, Pa., Providence, R.I. and Grand Rapids Mich. as locations.