They call it the good old hockey game, but it sure seems to have a fresh feel around it lately. Sports can often be caught in the “more of the same” mentality, a disease that has befallen the beloved NFL, now referred to tongue-and-cheek as the “No Fun League.”

The same can’t be said about the NHL, not only because they don’t have an F in their league acronym so it can’t spell out “fun,” but also because the league has proven time and time again that they are willing to try new things with the goal of bettering the sport.

3-on-3 All-Star Game Latest Evidence NHL is Open to Change

After the 2005-06 lockout the league decided to change its product, taking out hooking and grabbing and opening up the game to skilled players. As a result, hockey became faster and more entertaining for everyone not named Hal Gill or Derian Hatcher.

Instead of ending games in ties, the NHL introduced the shootout to make sure every game ended in a winner. When that became stale, the announced three-on-three overtime to make sure less games were decided by a glorified skills competition.

Now, the NHL is addressing another aspect of the game that has become uninspired: The All-Star game. The Canadian Press is reporting that instead of the traditional Sunday All-Star game, the “All-Star game” will consist of a 3-vs-3 tournament.

Pardon my excitement, but as a fan of the game this is a fricking awesome idea. It goes against every tradition that the All-Star game represents and whether or not it is even a “game” anymore is up for debate.

But at the end of the day the All-Star game is no more than added entertainment for the league to make extra profit and showcase its stars. By the letter of that law, this will sure be entertaining.

Not just the game itself, but the debates and situations that it will create. Just like the All-Star draft has in the past been an exciting sideshow for the event, picking the groups of three and goaltenders that will compete will add something extra to the All-Star weekend.

There will be no All-Star draft this year, however, instead there will be two teams from the East and two teams from the West who will play against each other. The winners of those semi-finals will take place in the final, all happening January 31 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

These games are sure to have plenty of skill on display as the world’s best are given all the time in the world to pull off their best tricks. This is something that has rarely been seen with the vanilla all-star game played in the past, especially of late.

In fact, the NHL All-Star game has been among the worst in professional sports, if not the worst. Why? Because it doesn’t mean anything, nor should it. All-Star games with something on the line are not made for contact sports, they are just too dangerous to the league’s best.

If you can’t add some incentive to win, creating a new entertaining format is the next best thing, which is exactly what the NHL has done. Where as the Pro Bowl and NBA All-Star games will continue to be irrelevant, there will be a new buzz around the NHL All-Star game this year.

The NHL has breathed some fresh air into the All-Star game by essentially making it an extension of the skills competition, which was the best part of the weekend anyway. That will still take place on January 30.

It’s not the first time, nor the last time, that the game of hockey will change. That is a good sign for a league consistently fighting to stay relevant, and who with moves like this will continue to get closer to that goal.

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