Milano Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface
Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.
This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.
“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.
The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its players to compete in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's tournament occurs from 5-19 February.
