Milano Hockey Arena Setbacks May Force NHL Players on Unproven Playing Surface
Put aside poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.
As NHL players preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.
Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – 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 primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.
“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.
The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the Olympics.
Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s also about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.
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 eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.
Despite the delays and worries, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.
