One of the most exciting elements of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina is the return of NHL stars to the games. It’s been over a decade since the best hockey players on earth took part, largely due to conflicts over whether or not Olympic competition was worth it to the NHL in light of the Olympics taking part in the middle of the season.
After the NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement with the IOC to take a break from play to send the sport’s best, everything was seemingly near collapse over the weekend amid reports that the hockey arenas were in a horrific state. Despite play set to begin on February 5, the primary arena hosting games didn’t have locker rooms or benches completed, and most alarmingly the playing surface had significant problems with pitting and soft spots.
Officials rejected the “giant hole” notion by saying it was a “small hole,” but nevertheless it set off alarm bells for whether or not the playing surface would be satisfactory. Naturally we want to see NHL athletes on the ice in Milan Cortina — but not at the expense that poor preparation could lead to a star player being injured and destroying the season back home.
“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 said. “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, and the IIHF deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”
The issues are far from being settled, however. There has yet to be discussion of the ice dimensions, which have been categorized as “weird.” The IIHF reached an agreement with the NHL to ensure the Olympic ice was closer to NHL size, rather than the much larger international size — but there seems to be a significant breach of this rule. Currently the ice is almost identical to the NHL in width, but over three feet shorter in length. Hockey player Ryan Valentini, who formerly played in the OHL and ECHL said the feel is off.
“Obviously, for us, we’re used to Olympic ice and this is even smaller than NHL ice, so it’s a completely different game,” Valentini added. “It felt really weird, I’ll be honest with you, but I don’t know if that’s the facility’s fault.”
It’s unclear at this time whether or not the arena is capable of hosting games on a standard NHL rink, or if too much construction has been done to tweak the dimensions. Either way, the NHL and NHLPA seem satisfied for now that the games will go ahead as planned — but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and February 5th.
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