Milano Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Players on Untested Ice
Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.
As NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.
The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.
“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.
The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the games.
Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before 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 additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.
This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.
In spite of the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament runs from 5-19 February.
