IIHF keeps Olympic 3-on-3 format despite complaints from Canadian coach Jon Cooper

Canada’s men’s hockey team coach Jon Cooper may not like the Olympics’ three-on-three overtime format, but it doesn’t matter at all.

Stays in place.

International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) president Luc Tardif told The Athletic that, despite Cooper’s complaints following his team’s gold medal loss to Team USA on Sunday, they will continue to use the method in future tournaments.

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“It’s the best rules to get into a strict schedule,” Tardif told the outlet. “We have to get 30 games in 11 days for men and 28 for women in 13 days – 58 all together in 16 days.

“It’s a big challenge.”

The IIHF wanted to introduce the three-on-three format that the NHL uses during its regular season to prevent the use of shooting. However, the NHL is making the change to five-on-five hockey during play without a shootout – only a game-winning goal.

Cooper, however, couldn’t help himself during extra-time action after watching Jack Hughes score the gold medal goal past his own goalkeeper, Jordan Binington.

“You take four players off the ice, now hockey isn’t hockey anymore,” Cooper said, per the New York Post. “There’s a reason overtime and shootouts are played — it’s all televised to finish games, so it’s not long. There’s a reason why it’s not in the Stanley Cup finals or the playoffs.”

Head coach Jon Cooper of Team Canada speaks to his players after the team’s 3-2 victory in the Men’s Semifinals Playoff match between Canada and Finland on day fourteen of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 20, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Overtime in the first round of the Olympics lasted five minutes, with a five-round shootout if the game-winning goal was not scored in that time. In the quarterfinals and semifinals, extra time was increased to 10 minutes, followed by 20 minutes in the gold medal games.

Canada didn’t get as good a look at the net as Hughes did with his game-winning shot, but they had tons of chances over the course of three periods. In the end, the US managed to keep the game at one point after 60 minutes, thanks to a great save by Connor Hellebuyck, who was called the “Secretary of Defense” by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for his performance.

After the game, Cooper wasn’t the only Canadian to express bitterness about the result. Co-captain Nathan MacKinnon, who missed a wide-open net in the third period that could have been the game-winner for Team Canada, made some hilarious comments to the media.

“Be the judge of who was the better team today,” he said.

Head coach Jon Cooper of Team Canada participates during training on the second day of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Feb. 8, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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While Cooper, MacKinnon, and the rest of Team Canada pondered what was to come, Team USA took Air Force One to visit President Donald Trump on Tuesday before his State of the Union Address. The team was spotted in the Oval Office, where Trump personally congratulated each player on their good work.

The United States has won the most gold medals in a single Winter Olympics (12), including the women’s ice hockey team that also defeated Team Canada in overtime thanks to Megan Keller’s heroics.

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