Milano Hockey Arena Delays Could Leave NHL Players on Unproven Ice
Put aside poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.
With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milan-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 relocated to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.
This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a match held in the main arena until the competition begins 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 timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.
The event that was supposed 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 stage lesser games during the Olympics.
Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed modern arena.
This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.
In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s event occurs from 5-19 February.
