NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is “disappointed” that the main arena slated to host hockey at the February Olympics is still unfinished, with less than two months until the start of the Games.
Ice won't make it to the Santagiulia Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy until later this month or early January, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. This leaves little time to make any adjustments if problems with the ice arise.
The arena is being built from scratch using temporary ice. It was built by a private company and construction started late.
NHL players are set to return to the Olympics after more than a decade, but the arena's readiness is affecting the women's hockey tournament as well.
“We have a lot to do to ensure our players can play, including scheduling a two-week shutdown of the season,” Bettman told reporters in Winnipeg on Wednesday. “The fact that the building is not yet complete at this point, as I said – and I won’t use any other adjectives – is disappointing.”
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly spoke Wednesday about the upcoming Winter Olympics and answered questions about their thoughts on the condition of the venue, the ice and what they expect. Bettman said he believes the global event is good for hockey, but added that he remains “disappointed” that the hockey building is not completed.
NHL ice technicians and experts are currently in Italy to share their experiences. On Wednesday they attended a test event at the Rho Hockey Arena, a secondary arena that will be used for hockey in Milan.
The ice inside Ro was built in a repurposed facility, and the ice was good, according to reports obtained by Daly on Wednesday.
But officials won't know the quality of the ice at Santagiulia until the ice is built and test events take place Jan. 9-11. The event will simulate an Olympic tournament with three games a day and spectators in the stands, all designed to see how the ice holds up in such conditions and temperatures.
“In all previous Olympic Games, whether permanent or temporary, it has never been this late to complete construction and build the ice,” Bettman said. “That's why we're careful.”
Earlier this week, Daly told The Associated Press that NHL players will not compete on the ice if it is not safe to do so.
Daly confirmed this on Wednesday.
“It’s probably a self-fulfilling prophecy: If the ice isn’t ready and it’s not safe, then we won’t go,” Daly said. “I mean, I think it's pretty self-explanatory.”
IOC officials downplay concerns about arena
A couple of hours ago, across the ocean in Lausanne, Switzerland, International Olympic Committee (IOC) officials played down any concerns about the ice on which men's and women's hockey will be played.
At a press conference following two days of IOC executive board meetings, IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the arena was not discussed at those meetings.
But Olympic chief executive Christophe Duby said officials felt confident given the ice conditions being tested this week at Rho Arena.
“This bodes well for what will happen immediately before the test event, which is ice production in [Santagiulia]- said Doobie.
The Santagiulia Hockey Arena plans to host approximately 14,700 spectators for the biggest hockey games of the Olympic Games, including the men's and women's medal games.
The first game in Santagiulia is scheduled for February 5, when the women's tournament opens.
In addition to the NHL, the PWHL is also in “active discussions with [International Ice Hockey Federation] “gather first-hand information about the current condition of the facility and ice surface,” the league said in a statement.
“We understand that the matter is evolving and will continue to work with the IIHF, international federations and our players’ associations in preparation for the Olympic Games.”
Back in March, representatives of the organizing committee of Milano Cortina 2026 said there is no need for plan Bbecause the work at Santagiulia was completed within the time frame set by the committee. Organizers were aiming to start supplying ice to the arena in October, but the deadline has already passed.
Ice size is no longer a problem
Although the main arena is still under construction, any issues related to ice size appear to have been resolved.
Both arenas will have a shorter length but slightly wider ice surface than the NHL-sized ice surface, which is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide.
The ice size in Milan will be 196.85 by 85.3 feet, with most of the difference in the neutral zone.
Milan's Santagiulia hockey arena, which has been beset by construction delays, is now expected to have an ice surface several feet smaller than an NHL-sized rink.
“While these dimensions are slightly different from a typical NHL rink, they comply with IIHF rules, are the size of the rink used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, and are fully consistent with the dimensions that the NHL requires as part of its arena specifications for Global Series games,” the IIHF said in a statement.
“All parties involved, the IIHF, the Organizing Committee, the NHL, the NHLPA, the IOC and the relevant authorities agree that the differences in rink performance are minor and should not affect the safety or quality of play.”
Daly said he had a “misunderstanding” with the IIHF over the size of the ice surface.
“But there are no significant differences, and I think we have overcome this problem,” he said. “So now it's all about making sure we have ice that's safe for our players. That's our main concern. We and the players' association will make sure of that before we play the tournament.”
Ice size is not an issue for Troy Ryan, coach of the national women's team, but he would like to see more specific measurements.
The team is in Edmonton this week. two important games against the USA.
“It's just something, everyone says it, but it's out of our control,” Ryan told reporters in Edmonton. “I don’t have the ability or the power to make a change in this situation.”
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin said she hadn't even thought about what the ice might be like at the Games yet, but echoed Ryan's sentiments.
“I have seen several things happen on social media, but we cannot control it. We're here right now… obviously we want to have everything ready when we get there, so we'll go from there.”
