Milano Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Stars on Untested Playing Surface

Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may 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 – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s also about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and concerns, expensive passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey league permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s event occurs from 5-19 February.