Milano Ice Hockey Arena Delays Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Ice
Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.
With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.
This situation raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.
The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.
Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.
This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.
Despite the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.