Milan Ice Hockey Venue Setbacks Could Leave NHL Stars on Untested Playing Surface

Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in over a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might 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 – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the Olympics, the timeline is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.