Milan Ice Hockey Arena Setbacks Could Force NHL Players on Untested Ice
Put aside thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.
With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.
The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the main arena 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 extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.
The event that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.
Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed modern arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament occurs from 5-19 February.