Milano Ice Hockey Arena Delays May Leave NHL Stars on Unproven Ice

Put aside poor conditions. Currently, there’s no ice.

With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped 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 Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The event that was supposed to evaluate 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 exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is ready and secure. It’s additionally about checking concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

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

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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