Everything we know about the Winter Olympic hockey venues which caused the NHL to think twice

By Ben Church, Antonia Mortensen, CNN

(CNN) — Hockey will once again be a flagship sport as next month’s Winter Olympics, not least because of the reintroduction of NHL players which will see some of the world’s best stars compete for a medal.

But while anticipation grows for the first puck drop of the Games, there have been fears that the venues which are set to host the hockey schedule may not be ready in time.

Critics are not just worried about the buildings being finished in time for the fans, but there were also questions around the playing surface itself.

Here is everything we know about the potential controversy which caused the NHL to temporarily think twice about letting its players compete in Italy.

NHL concern

Players from the NHL – the world’s premier hockey league – are set to return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

The league opted out of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing because of the Covid-19 pandemic and previously decided against allowing players to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, saying the competition would disrupt the hockey season.

But what should have been an exciting buildup to a world-class competition has instead been fraught with concern over the readiness of both hockey venues in Milan: the Milano Santagiulia and Milano Rho stadiums.

It got to the stage where NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month that the league would not send its players if there were any safety concerns with the ice.

So what exactly were the issues?

The league has already had to concede that the rinks will be slightly wider and shorter than usual NHL dimensions – but still within International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) standards – and then there were concerns around the quality of the new ice itself, with a small hole appearing in a previous test event.

On top of that, the venue infrastructure is behind schedule and the capacity of the new main venue, Milano Santagiulia, may not be what was initially desired.

The head of the IIHF, Luc Tardif, told reporters himself that the main hockey rink for the Games may not be fully finished by the time the first game begins, but promised the playing surface, practice facilities and dressing rooms would be ready for the start of the men’s tournament which will include NHL players.

All eyes, then, were on a test event at the venue last weekend.

Are the venues ready?

NHL officials were in Italy to monitor the test event and were reasonably pleased with the progress, much to the relief of local organizers.

On Monday, the NHL and NHL Players’ Association said in a joint statement that the tests were “a good trial run and provided important insight into the current status” of construction.

“While challenges are inherent with new ice and a still-under-construction venue, we expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock,” they said in a statement.

“The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organizing committee, the IOC (International Olympic Committee), and the IIHF deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”

Before that, IIHF head Tardif told reporters at the weekend that he was “happy and confident” that things were on track with the playing surface.

“We know how it’s difficult to have a high level of quality of ice for the third game of the third period,” he said.

“Yesterday that was a good test because that was fantastic; the puck was sliding and we weren’t bumping and there was some adjustment that’s a little bit more slow but that was a conclusive test.”

He added: “There is no reason that the NHL will not come.”

It was sentiment shared by IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey, who told reporters at the test event that he was “very confident” the NHL will be represented at the Games.

“It’s going to be extremely exciting. We’re very excited they are coming back. Twelve years – it was a lot of work from a lot of people to make sure this happens. So yeah, you will have NHL players here in February and it’s going to be amazing,” he said.

But while the playing surface looks to be heading in the right direction, organizers still concede that other, less vital, areas of the venues may not be totally complete in time for the start of the tournaments.

The women’s competition gets underway on February 5 before the men’s begins on February 11.

CNN Sports saw that areas directly outside the Milano Santagiulia still needed plenty of attention, with fans set to start pouring in from around the world in just a matter of weeks.

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