Milano Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface
Forget about poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition 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 raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.
The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.
Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become the nation's largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the postponements and worries, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league permitting its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.
