2016 NHL All-Star Game Moving to 3-on-3 Tournament Format

The NHL is planning to change the format of the 2016 All-Star Game to create a three-on-three tournament in the hope of sparking interest following the success of the overtime rules, which now include the wide-open style of play.

The NHL announced the news Wednesday and issued a statement on the decision:

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The new format will divide the All-Star Game into three 20-minute games, with star players from each Division making up the four All-Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan. The 2016 Honda NHL All-Star celebration will include the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Skills Competition™ on Saturday, Jan. 30, and the 2016 Honda NHL All-Star Tournament on Sunday, Jan. 31, where players will face off in a winner-take-all $1 million inter-division tournament.

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The fantasy draft that had been conducted by players will be eliminated in favor of smaller teams based on division.

A three-game tournament will pit divisions from the same conference against one another, with the East and West winners playing for the championship. Along with the title, TSN's Bob McKenzie noted the champions will receive a "large cash incentive," per the New York Daily News.

It's a smart move by the NHL. The fantasy draft didn't generate nearly as much attention as the league had hoped, with Alex Ovechkin's green-room antics usually serving as the only real entertainment. And the game itself lacked drama because nobody had any interest in playing defense. 

Playing a three-on-three tournament will eliminate the problem, because it's built to limit defense. Overtime has been a lot more exciting this season with nonstop, back-and-forth action that's had the desired result of cutting down the number of shootouts.

Shannon Proudfoot of Sportsnet weighed in on the reported change, praising the NHL for trying something different:

However, some players have spoken out against the overtime format in the early part of the season.

Per Luke Fox of Sportsnet, Erik Karlsson said in October, the morning after he skated a game-high 30:28 in a contest that, alas, needed to be solved by a shootout:

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It feels more like a bag skate for players like me. It hasn't ended any games for us yet.

It's not really hockey. It's whoever holds on to the puck longest and whoever cheats the most. Small stuff like that. Kinda boring. I don't really know what extra purpose it serves other than getting players extra tired. I don't see why we would keep it.

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All told, the NHL has tried various different formats to help the All-Star Game succeed. The league may have finally found one that works.