The Russians are involved in three-on-three hockey.
Roman Rotenberg believes that 3×3 hockey will be an Olympic sport in the future. Emil Hansson / AOP
The Russian Hockey Association has established a three-on-three hockey league. Vice-chairman of the Hockey Association and head coach of SKA St. Petersburg Roman Rotenberg said the first 3×3 games were launched on Sunday in Moscow.
– The formation of an entire league is planned for the next month, Rotenberg said according to RIA Novost.
Each game is played in three seven-minute installments. The draw is settled with penalty shots.
– This is how hockey develops. The game is really intense and dynamic because there are plenty of goal scores. I’m one hundred percent sure boys like this more than NHL compilations.
3×3 games are familiar from basketball. Last summer at the Tokyo Olympics, the format saw the light of day as an Olympic sport for the first time. Chairman of the IIHF Luc Tardif has said he supports the idea of playing three against three reels as an Olympic sport.
– We have already prepared that the 3×3 disc will be the 2030 Olympic sport. That is why we are developing our activities in this direction so that we can win Olympic gold. This is a long strategy. We want to be the pioneers of the sport, Rotenberg comments to Tassi.
Russia has been excluded from international hockey tournaments for at least the next year due to the war of aggression in Ukraine.