International Ice Hockey Federation officials insist a slightly shorter rink will not compromise safety at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy. However, NHL players set to compete in the games next February are more concerned about the potential quality of the ice.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters Monday, Dec. 8 at the league’s board of governors meetings in Colorado Springs that if players don’t feel the quality of the ice is safe, ‘then we’re not going to play.’
The Athletic reported last week that the size of the surface rink had fueled concerns as elite NHL players return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. Meanwhile, building delays at the Santagiulia Arena in Milan have pushed its completion date back to Feb. 2, just three days before the women’s tournament is scheduled to begin.
The men’s tournament starts on Feb. 11.
Daly told NHL owners he didn’t believe the construction issues were ‘insurmountable,’ but said the league was upping its efforts to make sure the games are safe and the ice is playable.
The quality of the ice is also a concern with multiple games each day being played over the course of three weeks. A test event is scheduled for the main rink from Jan. 9-11.
‘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.
The IIHF approved a 60-meter (196.85 foot) by 26-meter surface in Milan, which is more than three feet shorter than the 200-foot length required by the NHL. Daly said the league just found out about the dimensions last week, but he remains ‘cautiously optimistic’ all issues will be resolved.
The dimensions of the Olympic rink will be the same as the rink in Stockholm, Sweden, where the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators played last month in the NHL Global Series.