3ICE tournament returns with Hall of Famers Bourque, Carbonneau among coaches

Ray Bourque was a legendary, tireless workhorse for the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche between 1979 and 2001, a five-time Norris Trophy winner voted as the NHL's best defenseman whose leadership, tremendous offense, superb positional play and shot-blocking skills earned him Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 2004.

Winner of the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2000-01, the finale of his 22-season career, Bourque is surely counting his blessings now that he won't be lacing his skates for his latest frantically fast hockey challenge.

He might well get windburn behind the bench of 3ICE Boston during the eight-team, 3-on-3 professional tournament that begins July 17 at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"It's different than your normal 5-on-5," Bourque said. "They drop the puck and it's constant flow, even if there's a goal scored. Your entire roster is five players and a goalie and there are no whistles unless there's a penalty, when a penalty shot is called and then the shooter is chased by everyone.

"It's… interesting," he added with a laugh. "There's been no advance scouting. There's no training camp. The gameday morning skate is about the extent of the coaches seeing the other team … of seeing our own team."

South Florida is still buzzing with the Florida Panthers winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, so there seems nowhere better for the return of the 3ICE, the Patrick Cup championship trophy to be awarded to the last team standing.

From July 17 through Aug. 14, eight teams will face off with four fan-friendly games played in each of four weeks at the Panthers' practice facility beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Team Murphy celebrates after defeating Team Patrick at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 12, 2023, winning the Patrick Cup in the second edition of the 3ICE 3-on-3 tournament.

Consolation finals and finals each week will set the table for the grand finale, semifinals pitting the No. 1 seed against No. 4, with No. 2 meeting No. 3. A consolation final played between the two losing teams will precede the Patrick Cup championship game.

The massive trophy -- its weight is roughly twice that of the Stanley Cup -- is named for 3ICE Commissioner Craig Patrick, elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001 in the Builders category.

The lineup of coaches is stellar: Bourque, 3ICE Boston; Guy Carbonneau, 3ICE Dallas; Ken Daneyko, 3ICE New York/New Jersey; Grant Fuhr, 3ICE Chicago; John LeClair, 3ICE Tennessee; Joe Mullen, 3ICE Pittsburgh; Larry Murphy, 3ICE Minnesota; and Pierre Turgeon, 3ICE Buffalo.

Carbonneau, Fuhr, LeClair, Mullen and Murphy all return for their third 3ICE event, Bourque for his second. Daneyko and Turgeon are the rookies.

Rosters of the eight teams competing in this year's 3ICE 3-on-3 tournament.

Ten of the 48 roster players have NHL experience, a combined 893 games; many others have skated in the American Hockey League or European leagues. Four of the six on 3ICE Pittsburgh have played in the NHL: Matt Lorito, Paul Carey, Joe Whitney and Kasimir Kaskisuo.

Others competing include Jeremy Brodeur, son of iconic goalie Martin Brodeur, in net for Carbonneau's 3ICE Dallas, and defenseman Patrick Mullen, playing for his father, Joe, with 3ICE Pittsburgh.

Carbonneau won the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and 1993 and again with the Dallas Stars in 1999, and was voted recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward in 1988, 1989 and 1992. The Hall of Famer with the Class of 2019 is eager to get back behind a 3ICE bench, not that he's comparing the pressure to what he had for 230 games coaching the Canadiens from 2006-09.

Coach Guy Carbonneau looks on against Team LeClair during 3ICE Week 8 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Aug. 6, 2022.

"Maybe 3ICE is not as stressful?" Carbonneau said, laughing. "I've really enjoyed it. I think everybody was surprised with the event's first two years, and I know the players were really surprised the first year. A lot of those guys were at the age that training wasn't a priority, but they figured out really quickly that even if the game is just two eight-minute halves, it's high intensity. They have a chance to make money, so it's competitive."

Full rules for the games, featuring two eight-minute running-time halves with barely a break, are detailed on the 3ICE.com website. There are a few abridged highlights, this league one when stopping to take a breath is a luxury:

The playing format is 3-on-3 overtime, with three skaters and a goalie for each team.

There are no power plays. An infraction is penalized with a penalty shot for the other team. And it's utter madness: the shooter gets a head start and a clear path to the goal but the instant he touches the puck, he'll be hounded at high speed by three defenders and his two teammates.

Goalie Jeremy Brodeur of Team Carbonneau smiles before a game during 3ICE Week 4 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on July 19, 2023.

There's no overtime, a tie after regulation sending the game directly to shootout until a winner is decided.

And goalies can play the puck anywhere. Wandering is not only permitted, it's encouraged.

The four teams in action each week are scheduled to arrive the day before they play. Players, coaches and staff meet for dinner, everyone skates together on the morning of the game, return to their hotel for a meal, "then at 7 o'clock everyone has their game face on," Carbonneau said. "As a coach, you're trying to find an edge, a strategy you can use on the ice, but it's hard to do."

There's about $250,000 in championship prize money bonuses on the table, "so for sure, there's incentive to win," Bourque said.

E.J. Johnston, founder and CEO of 3ICE, watches a tryout session at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on April 19, 2022.

The birth of the 3ICE concept was announced in 2020, created by E.J. Johnston, a reality TV producer and son of former NHL goalie and executive Eddie Johnston. The founder was intrigued by the NHL's 3-on-3 overtime format introduced in 2015, spinning that into 3ICE with many more bells and whistles.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the proposed summer 2021 launch, the first tournament held in Las Vegas in 2022 with Bryan Trottier's team winning the maiden Patrick Cup.

The Larry Murphy-coached squad won the 2023 championship in Philadelphia before the league paused last year, announcing its return for 2025.

"The championship is intense," Murphy said following his team's 2023 win. "It's 16 minutes of pure intensity. When you win because you've been under the gun, under pressure for so long, when you come out victorious, it's a combination of elation and finally getting the chance to take a breath."

The 2023 Patrick Cup Championship logo adorns the jersey of players during the 3ICE Championship at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 12, 2023.

Bourque laughs about the sharp learning curve of his first 3ICE experience in 2023.

"I really didn't know how we should play until after that first game. Then you're like, 'OK, how can we go about having some sort of a system here?'" he said.

"That was very interesting, trying to make some adjustments. Puck possession is such a key. When you're defending, that's where you can't go too crazy. That's where you can rest a touch, you have to be patient. With only six players on your roster, it's tough on the guys. If you get extended on a shift, it's really tough to recover in time for your next shift, when another guy is coming off the ice. It's really exciting. It's fun."

Coaching has evolved over the years, Carbonneau said, "and you see that now in the NHL, everybody trying to figure out something the other team doesn't know, surprise them a little bit. It's harder now with video and 3-on-3 is even a bit more complicated. It's so fast, up and down. Make one mistake and you give up a 2-on-0. Score a goal and they go 3-on-1 the other way."

Daneyko, a Stanley Cup champion with New Jersey in 1995, 2000 and 2003, is a franchise legend on defense who played every one of his 1,458 NHL games for the Devils (regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs combined). He'll have to dig to the depths into his off-ice bag of tricks, his only coaching experience special assignments with the Metro Fighting Moose of the Continental Elite Hockey League in 2003-04.

Ken Daneyko is honored for his 40 years of service to the New Jersey Devils prior to the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Prudential Center on Oct. 30, 2022.

"There's nothing more exciting than 3-on-3" said Daneyko, now a Devils analyst. "I think a lot of fans will agree with that. I'm on the edge of my seat every time we go to overtime. I hope we go to OT and win it with some of the players we have. I'm going to let these 3ICE guys do their thing and be creative. Even though I'm a defensive guy, I've evolved, got with the times. I love the up-tempo of the skilled, talented guys in the game today, and 3-on-3 is made for those who have great stick skills, skating ability and creativity."

Then, with a laugh, Daneyko admits that he has a score to settle with Bourque, whose Avalanche defeated the Devils in seven games of the 2001 Stanley Cup Final.

"I owe Ray Bourque, I've got beat him," he said. "We won in 2000 and would have gone back to back in 2001 had we not lost to Colorado. We'd have won three in four years (the Devils won again in 2003), putting us in dynasty territory, if I hadn't lost to him.

"Ray doesn't know it and I haven't brought it up to him, but I have a vendetta here. Winning the Cup three out of the four times that you go to the Final ain't bad, but as much as everyone was happy for Ray in 2001, that loss still burns. Just a little extra motivation for me when I'm up against Team Bourque."

Tickets for all games are now on sale at 3ICE.com, BaptistHealthIcePlex.com or by clicking here. Fans not in South Florida can watch games live on the FanDuel Sports Network, replayed on NHL Network.

Top photo: Coach Ray Bourque talks to his team during 3ICE Week 4 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on July 19, 2023.