Connor McDavid calls for the NHL to make significant game change

If Connor McDavid was NHL commissioner instead of Gary Bettman, a lot of things would be different. Starting with the shootouts and three-on-three overtime.

On Friday, McDavid told Sportsnet’s ‘Tim and Friends’ that he would be open to extending the overtime period from five minutes to 10 and ditching the shootouts, claiming no one likes them. But he knows it all comes down to safety on the ice. 

“I would like that,” McDavid said about the idea of extended overtime. “No one loves the shootout. It’s a crappy way to finish a game. At the end of the day, it’s about the players’ health and safety. It’s a long season. The overtime taxes a lot of guys. Making that longer could have some effects there, but I agree with you in the sense that no one wants to see the game end in a shootout.”

McDavid isn’t the only in the NHL who would prefer extended overtimes over shootouts, though he is one of the rare one to voice his opinion on the format.

The change was made after the 2004-05 lockout when the league wanted to end ties and create a more exciting fan experience. The NHL chose to do that by implementing shootouts in the 2005-06 season.

Fans aren’t thrilled about the shootouts and many have made it known on social media over the seasons.

Thus far, 45 games in the 2022-23 season have ended in shootouts and we now know that McDavid isn’t happy about it.

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