Winter Olympics organizers reveal huge update on hockey arena amid construction delays and ‘no Plan B’
There will be ice, or so says the Olympic organizing committee ahead of next month’s Milan Cortina Winter Games in Italy.
After NHL commissioner Gary Bettman voiced concerns over construction delays and ice conditions at the Santagiulia Arena, organizers now say they are ‘100 percent’ confident the league will go ahead with plans to include its players in the highly anticipated tournament.
Construction delays and other concerns about the arena have drawn headlines for weeks ahead of the NHL returning to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 and the women’s tournament opening on February 5.
The NHL has expressed concern about the construction and quality of the ice surface. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month in Winnipeg that the league would not send its players if there were any safety concerns.
Bettman made a similar point, albeit a tad more bluntly.
‘I’m not trying to pile on on this, in all of the prior Olympics, whether they built permanent or temporary facilities, it’s never been this late for a completion in the building of ice, and so that’s why we are cautious,’ Bettman said.
When Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, was asked on Friday how confident he was that NHL players would participate, he said, ‘100 percent, 100 percent.’
IOC sports director Pierre Ducrey echoed his sentiments.
General view inside the stadium prior to the ice hockey Coppa Italia at Santagiulia Arena
Santagiulia Arena is still have a few ‘finishing touches’ installed, per Olympic officials
‘I’m very confident they will be here and it’s going to be extremely exciting,’ Ducrey said. ‘We’re very excited they’re coming back; 12 years, there was a lot of work from a lot people to make sure this happens.
‘So, yeah, you will have NHL players here in February and it is going to be amazing.’
The NHL is expected to release a statement at the end of its visit to the new arena, with a delegation at a long-awaited test event over the next three days.
The first match of the test event – the final league and cup games of the domestic season – was briefly delayed to fix what organizers said was a small hole in the ice.
A spokesperson from the Milan Cortina organizing committee told The Associated Press the ice master – Don Moffatt, who works for the Colorado Avalanche – was happy with the ice and reassured them that this was a completely normal occurrence that can happen the first time the ice is skated on.
Florian Wieser, who played in the game, posted to social media: ‘It was a small hole that was fixed in 5 minutes. Ice was really good, I was surprised how good it was and it will only get better.’
Fabian Spitaler of HC Eppan Appiano Anet in action during the ice hockey Coppa Italia 2025/26 second semifinal match between Alleghe Hockey and HC Eppan Appiano Anet in Milan
Players who tested the ice were impressed with the progress, although stopped short of giving an enthusiastic endorsement.
‘I didn’t feel any holes anymore on the ice during the second and the third period,’ Varese Hockey forward Tommaso Terzago said, as quoted by The Athletic. ‘For sure, during the first one, at some point personally, I put the point of my skate in the hole. There was nothing under the point of my skate, so I had a little sensation. Then they solved it.’
‘It’s still a work in progress, but the ice was pretty OK,’ Florian Wieser of SV Kaltern/Caldaro told The Athletic. ‘It was not bad. I talked with the Zamboni guy. He said it will be good. It was pretty good today, like not bad.
‘I think maybe not perfect, but when the NHLers are coming, I think it will be good.’
The original test event scheduled in December didn’t happen because of the construction delays. The one scheduled this weekend is less than a month out from the women’s competition.
On Friday, the arena was obviously far from complete – in a cosmetic sense at least.
Zayne Parekh, a Canadian defenseman, is seen with his bronze medal after Team Canada’s win over Finland in last month’s World Junior Hockey Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota
Sweden came away victorious in last month’s World Junior Hockey Championships
Seats were missing and there was an abundance of plastic sheeting. But organizers said those were just ‘the finishing touches.’
‘The next two days will be really very important because they will allow us, having three matches a day, to test exactly the days as they will be in the Olympics,’ Francisi said.
On Monday, International Ice Hockey Federation President Luc Tardif said parts of the arena might not be fully finished on time.
Ducrey thinks there is ‘no chance at all’ it won’t be ready for competition.
‘(Tardif) will spend the three days here, he’s going to have an opportunity to see the plans, to see the hockey going on … but from our perspective it’s clear,’ Ducrey said. ‘We knew exactly where the venue would be at at this stage, and we are pleased with the progress.
‘A lot more progress will be done so that we are absolutely ready for Games time.’
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled from February 11-22, the women’s from February 5-19.
