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Olympic organizers make huge mistake with hockey arena design: 'I don't understand how!'
Photo credit: Brian Fluharty Imagn Images
As the deadline draws near for teams to name their rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, the rink the organizers have made a huge mistake with the arena
The lead up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan has been filled with excitement from fans and players as the likes of Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and others will finally make their long-awaited Olympic debuts.
While the fans and players have shown plenty of enthusiasm leading up to the games, the NHL and NHLPA have been dealing with nothing but headaches behind closed doors regarding the venue players will call home for two weeks in February.
Latest issue surrounding Olympic rink could cause major play issues
What began as construction delays and now a time crunch to complete the the venue located just outside Milan has now morphed into an arena problem -- specifically the size of the ice surface.
In an appearance on 'The Real Kyper and Bourne Show', Team Canada assistant coach Pete DeBoer revealed that the ice surface is going to be smaller than a standard NHL rink.
"The ice surface, it looks like it's going to be smaller than NHL rink standard by probably 3 or 4 feet," Peter DeBoer. "I don't understand how that happened."
DoBoer added that he does not believe it will make a huge difference, but surely, the time and space that players fight for on a regular-sized rink will become further limited.
Injury concerns on the rise?
With the rink coming up four-feet short of the standard 200-feet of an NHL rink, there is suddenly an increased concern surrounding player injuries. Not so much because of currently unknown ice conditions, but rather the speed of the game and the fact players won't have time to adjust to a shorter rink, that isn't any wider.
With testing events scheduled for January 9-11, the NHL and NHLPA, are keeping a close eye on progress and other potential concerns.
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