The Milan Olympic Venue’s Ice Is Untested
National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman has a problem on his hands. The NHL wants to sell its product on the world stage during the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics but the Milan, Italy arena is not yet completed and there have been no tests of the venue’s ice. NHL officials are headed to Milan to check out the facility to see if there should be any concerns about the league’s top players competing in the February tournament. The Milan venue will seat 14,000 people and local Olympic committee officials claim the arena with “its acoustics, sight lines and modern amenities create a unique atmosphere where the passion for sport meets the excitement of a world-class event.” That is all well and good but for hockey, the ice and ice making equipment is key. Poor ice making equipment may mean poor and slushy ice and change how the game is played.
“There seem to be some issues, including with the ice,” Bettman said. “And while the International Olympic Committee and the International Ice Hockey Federation are responsible and have said that we have nothing to be concerned about, we will send our own people to take a look ourselves, because the well-being of our players playing in this tournament is the most important thing. In most instances, the facilities are created and completed a year or almost a year in advance so that you can test them. This is coming down to the wire, which wouldn’t be our preference if we were in control. Ice conditions are vitally important, and we’ve got to make sure the ice conditions are up to our standards. Hopefully, it will be okay. It’s beyond our control, and we’re being assured that everything will be all right, and I hope that’s the case.” The NHL has been absent from the Winter Olympics since 2014.
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Milan-Cortina 2027
