Hockey's not hockey any more': did three-on-three overtime ruin Canada's Olympics?

"Two Olympic finals against the US, two strong performances, two sudden-death losses. Canada is so over overtime. While all good things must come to an end, it's hard to fathom why hockey's international rule-makers think that the very best things huge clashes that were some of the hottest tickets of the entire Olympics should be ended using three-on-three golden-goal overtime, a concept beloved only by people with a train to catch or firm dinner reservations."

"Forty-six years after the Miracle on Ice, the US men and women celebrated with a pair of huge assists from the Misrule on Ice. Following an overtime winner by Megan Keller that saw the Americans break stubborn Canadian resistance in the women's final on Thursday, another 2-1 win for the US against their neighbours in Milan on Sunday handed the men their first gold since the famous triumph over the Soviet Union at Lake Placid in 1980."

"At the end of regulation during two mesmerizing knife-edge finals, the rules decreed: OK, that's enough high-quality five-on-five hockey. Let's put an end to all this drama as quickly as possible by forcing the teams to play a different format to decide the outcome of the most important contests in international hockey. On the one hand the odd dubious refereeing call and a magnificent goaltending display from USA's Connor Hellebuyck aside"

Two Olympic finals between Canada and the United States ended in sudden-death overtime losses for Canada after strong Canadian performances. The three-on-three golden-goal overtime format decided both outcomes and drew criticism for replacing full-strength five-on-five play in marquee matches. Megan Keller scored the women's overtime winner for the US, and the men's 2-1 loss gave the Americans their first Olympic gold since 1980. Canada outshot the US heavily in the men's final but missed key chances, including Nathan MacKinnon's open-net miss, while an extraordinary goaltending display and a dubious refereeing call influenced pivotal moments.

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