Milan Ice Hockey Arena Delays Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface

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

With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed 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 arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was intended to evaluate 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 giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.