Milan Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Stars on Unproven Playing Surface
Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact 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 puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.
The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the games.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey league permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.
