The NHL and NHL Players’ Association said in a joint statement Monday they are pleased test events at the new hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Olympics were “a good trial run and provided important insight into the current status” of construction.
League and union officials were at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Italy over the weekend, as organizers put on games to test the ice surface while the process of finishing dressing rooms and other facilities continues. Play is set to begin on the women’s side Feb. 5 and the men’s side Feb. 11.
“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 [International Olympic Committee], and the [International Ice Hockey Federation] deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the test events went OK, from the reports he received, while acknowledging there is still more to be finished.
“There are still challenges because the building is still under construction and the ice is new,” Bettman said in Buffalo, N.Y., where he announced the Sabres are hosting the NHL draft there in June. “We’ve been assured that, or we expect, that everything that needs to be done on a timely basis will get done.
“But, as you know, it’s not our event. We’re invited guests. But we’ve offered to help and consult and advise as they feel they need and would be appropriate because we do have a little bit of expertise in that area.”
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Officials in Milan, including International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif, recently expressed confidence that NHL players will participate next month as scheduled. Concerns were mounting given the rink had not yet been completed less than month before the start of the Games.
Bettman believes he’ll have a better idea of where things stand in Milan once he arrives.
“It’s always been important for our players to play best on best at the Olympics,” Bettman said. “That’s why we agreed to take the break and have them go. In the final analysis, that question has to get answered by the IOC and the IIHF.”
