Milano Hockey Venue Delays Could Force NHL Players on Untested Playing Surface

Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the main hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact arena – 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 main arena until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s also about checking concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, expensive tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats 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 sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.