At the end of last season when the NHL commissioners decided to change the overtime model from a shoot out to 3-on-3, one of the main reasons was for the enjoyment of the fans. It was to increase excitement. At the time Ron Hextall had said, “ There’s obviously a lot of space and I think once there is one scoring chance at one end, typically if you don’t score it goes back the other way. It ends up being exciting, fast-paced and, obviously, the skill level of the players comes out.”
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When he stated that, he had no idea that his team, the Philadelphia Flyers, would do just that and be the first team to go into 3-on-3 overtime against Tampa Bay in the 2015 season opener.