Milan Ice Hockey Venue Setbacks May Leave NHL Stars on Untested Playing Surface

Put aside poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main 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 arranged yet.

This situation raises the prospect 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 – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano 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 under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.

This new facility, 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 possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.