Milano Hockey Arena Setbacks May Leave NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface

Forget about poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

With NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a match 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.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats 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). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its athletes 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. Women's event occurs from 5-19 February.