Milano Hockey Arena Delays Could Force NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface
Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.
As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a decade, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.
The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.
“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.
The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the Olympics.
Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.
In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats 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 for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey organization allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s event occurs from 5-19 February.
