Wray Morrison: Making overtime quality time

I remember chatting with a former NHL coach back in 2015, and I asked him about the NHL moving to three-on-three overtime sessions. He said, and I quote, “Coaches will find a way to make it boring.”

I wondered how that could be the case at the time, but he was right. Teams dangle for five minutes, actually take the puck out of the opposing zone from time and time, and basically skate around hoping their skilled players can score in a shootout once five minutes is wasted.

Last Saturday, Sportsnet’s Brian Burke had an idea that I like a lot. How about an overtime shot clock? In a five-minute overtime, an attempt has to be made to put a shot on net in a certain amount of time, or teams have to give up the puck.

An offensive approach similar to that of basketball and lacrosse would make three-on-three sessions much more enjoyable for the fans.