Olympic organizers defend shorter rink for hockey tournament

MILAN, Italy – Olympic organizers and the International Ice Hockey Federation defended the size of the rink to be used in the hockey tournament after reports that it was shorter than the standard used in NHL venues.

The debate about dimensions is the latest cloud over the Santagiulia Arena in Milan. Building delays mean test events won’t be held until Jan. 9-11, less than a month before the Games open.

The Athletic reported last week that the size of the surface rink had fueled concerns about safety as elite NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

According to The Athletic, the IIHF approved a 60-meter (196.85 foot) by 26-meter surface in Milan, which is more than 3 feet shorter than the 200-foot length required by the NHL.

The surface is a fraction wider than NHL specifications but the concern is that is not enough to compensate for the shorter rink in a sport where high-speed collisions are frequent.

‘While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications,’ the federation said in a statement released by the Milano Cortina Foundation.

NHL players last took part in the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, in 2014. Four years later, the NHL and International Olympic Committee could not agree on who would pay for travel and other agreements for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea, while COVID restrictions kept them from Beijing four years ago.

Progress on the Santagiulia venue has emerged as the main headache in the run-up to the Olympics, which will be co-hosted by Milan and the alpine resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo from Feb. 6-22.

Located in the southeast of Milan, the arena will have around 15,000 seats. It is one of two ice hockey venues and is scheduled to host the gold medal games.

It will be inaugurated in January when it hosts the Final Four events in Italy’s IHL Hockey League Serie A Championship and the 2025/2026 Italian Cup.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman spoke with NHL Players Association assistant executive director Ron Hainsey during the weekend about the biggest issue involving the Olympic arena.

While the shorter ice surface isn’t ideal, Hainsey and the NHLPA are more concerned about the safety and quality of the ice in Milan.