Milan Ice Hockey Venue Setbacks Could Leave NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface
Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled 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.
“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 said recently.
The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.
Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the postponements and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.