Milan Olympic Hockey Arena Delays May Leave Nhl Stars On Untested Ice

Forget astir bladed ice. For now, there’s nary ice.

With NHL players preparing to return to nan Olympics for nan first clip successful much than a decade, building connected nan main lucky arena for nan Milan-Cortina Games is going down to nan wire.

Local organizers confirmed to nan Associated Press connected Wednesday that nan main trial arena for nan 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that nary caller trial arena has been scheduled yet.

The rumor raises nan imaginable that location mightiness not beryllium a crippled held successful nan main arena until nan puck is dropped for nan women’s preliminary information title astatine nan Olympics connected 5 February – 1 time earlier nan opening ceremony.

“It’s going to beryllium very adjacent to nan commencement of nan games, nan timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina section organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The arena that was expected to trial nan Santagiulia crystal was portion of nan under-20 world title from 8-14 December. That arena has been moved to nan Rho Fiera lucky venue, which is being group up wrong a elephantine normal halfway connected Milan’s outskirts and will big secondary matches during nan games.

Usually, caller Olympic venues are tested astatine slightest nan twelvemonth earlier hosting badge events. And pinch a ample lucky arena, it’s not conscionable astir nan crystal and making judge that nan playing aboveground is fresh and safe. It’s besides astir testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything other wrong a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a backstage company, is slated to go Italy’s largest indoor arena. For aft nan Olympics, it’s being eyed arsenic a imaginable early big of nan ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite nan delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events astatine nan Santagiulia arena. Seats for nan men’s golden badge crippled connected 22 February – nan closing time of nan games – are going for arsenic overmuch arsenic €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s much than for immoderate different sports arena astatine nan Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for nan opening and closing ceremonies costs more.

The return of NHL players astatine nan Olympics was announced past February, pinch nan world’s apical lucky convention allowing its players to participate successful nan Winter Games for nan first clip since 2014 successful Sochi.

The men’s Olympic lucky tourney is scheduled to tally from 11-22 February. The women’s tourney runs from 5-19 February.