Milan Ice Hockey Arena Setbacks Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface
Forget about poor conditions. For now, there’s no ice.
As NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.
The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.
“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.
The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the delays and concerns, expensive tickets are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.
The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.
