Milano Hockey Arena Delays Could Leave NHL Stars on Unproven Ice

Put aside poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a ten years, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive 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 podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and worries, expensive tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization permitting its athletes to compete 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 occurs from 5-19 February.