Milano Hockey Arena Delays Could Force NHL Players on Untested Ice
Forget about thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.
This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.
The competition that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.
Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.