Milano Ice Hockey Arena Delays Could Force NHL Players on Unproven Ice
Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a ten years, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a more compact arena – 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 competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.
The event that was supposed to evaluate 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 venue, which is being established inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the Olympics.
Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.
This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is slated to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.
In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.
