Canadian Olympic men's ice hockey coach Jon Cooper expressed dissatisfaction with the overtime format after his team's gold medal loss to the United States. Team USA secured the victory with a 2-1 scoreline, marking their first gold medal since 1980.
The Olympics employs a 3-on-3 format for overtime. Cooper argued that reducing players significantly alters the nature of the game, stating, "You take four players off the ice, now hockey's not hockey anymore." He pointed out that this format is not used in professional leagues like the Stanley Cup finals, suggesting it's primarily for television to expedite game endings.
However, Cooper acknowledged that the format was not the sole reason for the loss, emphasizing that all teams were aware of the rules beforehand. Canada did have opportunities to score, but stellar goaltending from Team USA's Connor Hellebuyck, who made 41 saves, proved crucial. Canada's lone goal came from Cale Makar.