The first three: domestic stars will play hockey in a new format

Three-on-three hockey is usually practiced only in overtime, but in recent years there have been full-fledged tournaments in this quantity. For example, at the recent Channel One Cup, the Russian national team won a mini-tournament. But it was played on a regular hockey box, but in mid-November, the KHL announced the creation of a full-fledged new 3x3 league.

KHL became the first league in the world to launch such a format on the basis of professional hockey teams. Eight teams from three countries will take part in the first season of the KHL 3x3 championship - Avangard, Ak Bars, Metallurg, Salavat Yulaev, Sibir and Traktor, as well as Kazakhstan's Barys and Minsk Dynamo.

No big salaries

There are a lot of familiar names on the roster. It's not surprising: at least one player in a tourney bid must meet the following conditions: at least 200 games in the KHL during his career, or at least 80 games in the KHL over the last five seasons.

Players of KHL teams on bilateral or trilateral contracts, unrestricted free agents over the age of 22 can be included in the application for the season. For example, Maxim Rybin, Igor Makarov and Evgeny Korotkov will play for Avangard, Nikita Shchitov, Ilya Krikunov, Dmitry and Konstantin Makarov will play for Salavat Yulaev, Sergei Shmelev and Pavel Varfolomeyev will play for Magnitogorsk, Alexander Lazushin and Mikhail Glukhov will play for Ak Bars, and Talgat Zhailauov will play for Barys.

There will be no big money in the league - according to Sport-Express, players' salaries are unlikely to be more than 500,000 rubles by the end of the season. But most hockey players don't go there for the money: it's a great opportunity to get game practice and stay in shape, and for many - just to prolong their life in hockey and make connections.

Advantages in dynamism

The regular season will run from December (scheduled to start on the 19th) 2024 through June 2025. A total of 312 matches will be played. Each of the 24 rounds fits into four days, Thursday through Sunday. The rounds involve four teams facing each other twice each, and the rivalry is not limited within divisions: teams will be "mixed" from the very first round. There are four matches on Thursdays, two on Fridays, four on Saturdays and three on Sundays. The Sunday program is completed by a kind of final - with the participation of the two best teams at the end of the tour, in which the winner receives a cash prize of 1 million rubles.

At the end of the regular season, the top three teams from each division advance to the superfinal, which consists of a group stage and playoffs. The group stage takes place in a single-round tournament, after which the top four teams advance to the playoffs. The final of the first season of the KHL 3x3 championship is scheduled for July 13, 2025.

The duration of each period is seven minutes of net time, with a break between periods of only two minutes. Forces and fights are prohibited, and instead of penalties, penalty shots with pursuit are allowed. The game has a minimum of throw-ins: only at the beginning of a period and after a goal is taken. In the event of a tie, a series of throws is held to determine the winner.

The creation of the new league can only be assessed positively: the games will be held in the early hours and practically will not overlap with the KHL, which will give fans the opportunity to watch more hockey. And in terms of dynamism, a three-on-three game on a small box is noticeably superior to a regular match.

- We'll see how this tournament goes, the three-on-three format is interesting in that there are more goals and offensive actions than defensive ones," said world champion and Avangard legend Maxim Sushinsky in a conversation with Izvestia. - I understand that hockey players who are not on the roster or from the WHL will play there. The leading players of the teams will not play there. Why do young people like to watch this? They move forward, they always want to watch something new.

According to Vladislav Tretiak, President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, the new format is more entertaining and has Olympic prospects.

- Can three-on-three hockey become an Olympic sport? It can, - said Vladislav Tretiak. - Now the NHL will support such a banner. But for me personally, playing three-on-three would be very painful and hard, because it's constant movement, constant goals. But that's what makes hockey different from other sports - in soccer you shoot at the goal three or four times a game. But three-on-three hockey is a flurry of attacks both ways. People don't come to watch 0-0, they want to see goals and chances. Of course, three-on-three is a winning option, but everything is little by little, bit by bit. I think it will become an Olympic game in the future.