Forget thin ice. For now there is no ice.
As NHL players prepare to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, construction of the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is moving down to the wire.
Local organizers confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia stadium that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller stadium, and that no new test event has yet been scheduled.
The issue raises the possibility that a match may not be held in the main arena until the puck is thrown for the Olympic women’s preliminary round competition on Feb. 5, a day before the opening ceremony.
“It’s going to be very close to the start of the games, the schedule is very tight. But we knew it,” the general director of the local Milan-Cortina organizing committee, Andrea Varnier, said recently.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman deferred to the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation when asked about the construction schedule after the league’s board of governors meeting Wednesday.
“For the last two years we have been concerned about the progress of the runway, both runways but mainly the main one, but it is the IOC’s responsibility,” Bettman said. “We are guests, but they are aware of our concerns and we hope that they will fulfill all the promises of having facilities that, from a competitive point of view, are first class.”
Bettman emphasized that it is not an event for his league and will share any concerns with the Players Association if necessary.
“We are limited in what we can and cannot do, request and demand, and if it gets to a certain point, we will have to deal with it,” Bettman said. “But I’m not speculating, and the IOC and IIHF have constantly assured us that everything will be fine.”
Concession stands and bathrooms are not being tested.
The event that was to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the U20 world championship from December 8 to 14. That event was moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center outside Milan and will host secondary games during the games.
Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least a year before hosting medal events. And at a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about trying out food stalls, bathrooms and everything else within a completely new, modern setting.
The Santagiulia venue, built by a private company, is planned to become the largest indoor stadium in Italy. After the Olympic Games, it is being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.
Despite the delays and concerns, expensive tickets for events at the Santagiulia stadium are already selling. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on Feb. 22, the final day of the games, cost up to 1,400 euros (more than $1,600). This is more than in any other sporting event of the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.
The return of NHL players to the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.
Canada’s women begin their gold medal defense on February 5 against Finland.
The Canadians will begin on February 12 against the Czech Republic. In 2014, Canada beat Sweden for gold.
Canada faces Switzerland on February 13 and concludes group play on February 15 against France at Santagiulia Stadium.
Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart will represent Canada at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games.
The Canadians will face the Swiss on February 7 and the Czechs on February 9 at the 5,700-seat Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena before crowning Group A against archrival United States on February 10 at the Santagiulia Arena.
Canada beat the United States 3-2 for the gold medal in Beijing 2022.
The women’s quarterfinals on February 13 and 14 in Milan are followed by the semifinals on February 16 and the medal games on February 19.
The men’s qualifying round for the playoffs is on February 17, followed by the quarterfinals on February 18, the semifinals on February 20, the bronze medal match on February 21 and the gold medal match on February 22.
Canadian games will be televised late morning/early afternoon Canadian Eastern Time due to a six-hour time difference.
The IIHF released the schedules a day after the dozen countries participating in the men’s tournament revealed the first six players chosen for their respective 25-man rosters.
