While the 3-on-3 overtime format to determine the gold-medal winners of both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments at Milano Cortina 2026 has drawn the ire of some, IIHF president Luc Tardif said Tuesday he does not envision any changes to the format moving forward.
Both the United States women’s and men’s teams picked up 2-1 victories over Canada in the 3-on-3 overtime, with the women scoring 4:07 into the extra frame and Jack Hughes scoring for the men just 1:41 in.
“It’s the best rules to fit in a tight schedule,” Tardif told TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston in The Athletic. “We have to figure out 30 games in 11 days for men and for the women 28 games in 13 days — 58 [games] all together in 16 days.
“Huge challenge.”
New, for @TheAthletic: IIHF will stick with 3-on-3 overtime despite criticism after Olympic hockey gold-medal games 🔗⬇️https://t.co/aoal0wcWLUhttps://t.co/aoal0wcWLU
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 24, 2026
Five men’s games at this year’s winter Olympics required overtime, along with four games on the women’s side, including both medal games. No shootouts were required, though the gold-medal games would have played 3-on-3 until a winner was determined, eliminating the shootout entirely.
“It’s the best rules to fit,” Tardif added. “The OT format will remain the same moving forward.”
The IIHF moved to the three-on-three format after seeing multiple gold-medal games decided in a shootout, including Canada defeating Team USA in the 2018 Olympic final.
