Milano Hockey Arena Setbacks May Leave NHL Players on Untested Ice

Forget about poor conditions. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL players gearing up to return to the Olympics for the first time in over a ten years, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller 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.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.