Milan Ice Hockey Venue Setbacks Could Force NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface
Forget about thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.
With NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.
Local organizers announced 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 new test event has been arranged yet.
The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.
The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.
Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.
The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.
In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.
The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey league allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament occurs from 5-19 February.
