COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When it comes time for the NHL to determine whether the facilities for the Milan Olympics are adequate for the men’s tournament in February, deputy commissioner Bill Daly says they’ll use a pretty straightforward rule of thumb.
“Obviously if the players feel like the ice is unsafe, we’re not going to play,” Daly told reporters Monday during the NHL’s Board of Governors meetings. “It’s as simple as that.”
The comments are an intensifying focus on the delayed construction of Santagiulia Arena, southeast of Milan. To open meetings, NHL owners were updated on the situation, and many are displeased by the uncertainty hanging over an event scheduled for Feb. 11-22.
The league isn’t too happy, either, although Daly said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about progress based on the most recent reports he’s received.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything insurmountable in getting to completion,” he said.
The deputy commissioner acknowledged being blindsided by news last week that the International Ice Hockey Federation approved rink dimensions for the tournament that are smaller than NHL standards.
The Olympic agreement called for NHL ice to be used at the tournament. Instead, the IIHF went with a 60-meter by 26-meter sheet (196.85-foot by 85.3-foot) in Milan, which is more than three feet shorter and only a hair wider than the 200-foot by 85-foot dimensions found in every NHL rink.
Asked why the discrepancy occurred, Daly replied, “It happened.”
“I think the IIHF was under the impression they had a different interpretation of what NHL ice meant than maybe we would have,” he added. “Even at the site visits, I’m not sure it was anything that was perceptible to anybody, right? It’s not like people bring tape measures there. So for whatever reason it came back the way it came back. I mean it’s a structural issue.
“It would be impossible to correct.”
As a result, they’re going to make the best of it.
The NHL Players’ Association canvassed members, and they didn’t feel it represented a safety or competitive-balance issue.
What’s most concerning now is making sure the ice holds up. The NHL has sent staff to Italy to assist with the process and will be monitoring a planned Jan. 9-11 test event at Santagiulia closely. There are 33 games scheduled to be played at the arena between the women’s and men’s Olympic tournaments.
“Part of what distinguishes this type of tournament from just a regular game is you’re playing three games a day on the same sheet of ice for a prolonged period of time,” said Daly. “That’s tough on the ice. The ice has to be a little more resilient than it might otherwise have to be.”
At this stage, that’s the biggest threat to pulling off the event.
“We need to make sure that the ice is of sufficient quality that it doesn’t put our players at risk playing on it, and that’s something that we’re going to have to monitor,” said Daly. “We have offered, and they’re utilizing, our ice experts and technicians and outside providers. We’re basically moving everybody there to try to help get this done in a way that’s acceptable for NHL athletes.
“As I said, I’m cautiously optimistic that’s all going to be fruitful.”
Daly reiterated that there’s no Plan B in the event things don’t come together in Milan — although he did qualify that by saying that the league has proven it can transition on a dime under emergency conditions.
The NHL has been told the venues will be completed by Feb. 2, and that they will have access to them beforehand to monitor progress, according to Daly.
Even while trying to sound an upbeat note on where things are headed, it’s pretty clear this will be a one-off situation.
“I think both we and the players’ association have made the IIHF very aware that when we participate in the Olympics in 2030, we expect it to be an NHL ice surface,” said Daly.
