What you need to know about the new NHL All-Star Tournament format
The NHL announced its new All-Star Game format Wednesday with a heavy emphasis on 3-on-3 play.
The league’s skills competition will remain – a fan favorite every year – but in order to spice up the game itself, the NHL has created a different type game play style to breathe life into the mid-season contest with three separate 3-on-3 games on Jan. 31.
The winning team will receive a $1 million monetary prize.
The NHL All-Star weekend will run Jan. 29-31 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
What’s new?
The league will have a 3-on-3 tournament with four teams based on divisions. The Metropolitan Divison will face off against the Atlantic Division and the Central Division will play the Pacific Division.
Each side will feature 11 players: six forwards, three defensemen and two goalies.
Fans will vote for one player from each division regardless of position. The top vote-getter from each division will be that division’s team captain. The remaining 40 All-Stars will be chosen by the NHL’s Hockey Operations department with the goal of getting all 30 teams represented.
The games will be 20 minutes in length with the teams switching side after 10 minutes. Games that are tied after 20 minutes will be decided by a shootout.
The four division-leading NHL coaches after Jan. 9 will head to Nashville to coach the four All-Star teams.
The winners of each semifinal will play in the final for the $1 million prize, which will likely end up going to a charity.
Despite the four teams repping each NHL division, there will only be two jersey designs, according to UniWatch.
What’s the same?
The skills competition will remain and revert back to the East vs. West format. This has always been a fan favorite and leads to some of the biggest viral moments of the weekend.
One can expect Predators defenseman Shea Weber will defend his “Hardest Shot” crown in his home city.
The new twist with the All-Star Tournament format is that the winning conference in the Skills Competition will get to select when their semifinal game is played; either first or second on Sunday.
What’s gone?
The traditional 5-on-5 element of the game is no more. The NHL’s new 3-on-3 overtime rules have led to rave reviews from fans and the league is trying to capitalize.
Gone is also the entertaining fantasy draft, featuring sauced up NHL players picking their friends and providing plenty of candid moments.
With files from Sean Leahy
MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY
