Milan Ice Hockey Arena Delays May Force NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface
Forget about thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.
The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.
“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.
The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.
Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.
