Milan Ice Hockey Venue Delays May Force NHL Players on Untested Ice

Forget about poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.

With NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled 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 game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the Olympics, the schedule 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 ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred 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 Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled 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 ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's event occurs from 5-19 February.