Jets' Paul Maurice: '3-on-3 is a free-for-all of fecal matter, it's a s--t show'

One early quote of the decade candidate, please.

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets played a pretty average 60-minute game — aside from a few electric Auston Matthews highlight reel moments, of course. That’s when things climaxed during a purely exhilarating five-minute overtime period.

Jets head coach Paul Maurice described the thrill of Wednesday night’s chaotic 3-on-3 extra session in a quote that will live on infamously for a while.

What you’re looking for is about 45 seconds into the video below.

“So, I didn’t care for three-on-three [hockey] when it came in, but I think it’s outstanding,” the 52-year-old said after Blake Wheeler netted the game’s shootout winner. “Like, if you’re going to spend money to come see a game, somebody should win, somebody should lose. The three-on-three is a... I can’t use the words that I want to use that came to my head. It’s a free-for-all of fecal matter. It’s a s—t show out there and, ah, that’s great...”

He’s not wrong.

The final moments leading into overtime set the tone when Matthews tied the game at three with 14 seconds left. The 22-year-old’s absolute rocket launcher from his signature spot was his second tally of the night and only added to a historic evening.

The ensuing overtime session kept that momentum alive, highlighted by Frederik Andersen’s stellar 2-on-0 save that Scotiabank Arena loved.

In the five minutes, there was only one stoppage of play as fans enjoyed continuous end-to-end action.

All that momentum was then decapitated in order for the game to be decided in a shootout, which no one actually wants to see, as Maurice alluded to.

Why can’t we just play three-on-three overtime hockey forever?

Let’s get a petition going.

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