Milan Ice Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Players on Untested Ice
Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
This situation raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games 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 timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.
The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern stadium.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.
In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league permitting its players to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.
