Milan Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface
Forget about thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL players preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.
This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.
“The timeline will be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.
The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.
Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.
