Milano Ice Hockey Arena Delays Could Force NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface

Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.