Milano Hockey Arena Setbacks Could Leave NHL Stars on Untested Ice

Forget about poor conditions. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

With NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a game 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 opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding 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, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

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

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event occurs from 5-19 February.