Milano Ice Hockey Arena Delays Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Ice
Put aside poor conditions. For now, there’s no ice.
With NHL players gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a decade, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.
“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated 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 Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.
Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.
In spite of the postponements and worries, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.
