NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly met with the media to share the latest on the ice rink construction for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, with updates summarized by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Daly confirmed that the rink will finish construction on February 2nd, just three days before the women’s tournament is scheduled to begin. The men’s tournament is set to start on February 11th. Daly added that the NHL has sent their own ice technicians and experts to Milano Cortina to support the construction, saying:
We’re basically moving everybody there to try to help get this done in a way that’s acceptable for NHL athletes. And I’m cautiously optimistic it will be fruitful.
The NHL is hearing positive updates, per Daly, and doesn’t view the construction challenges as an insurmountable barrier. At the same time, Daly said the NHL won’t send players if the ice conditions are deemed unsafe to play on. The ice sheet itself is set to be a standard international size – 196.85 feet by 85.3 feet (60 meters by 26 meters). That was the sized used in past Olympic events, but goes against an agreement made this summer between the NHL and IIHF. The NHL found out about the improper sizing last week. They okayed the it for 2026 but will expect proper dimensions for the 2030 Winter Olympics, per Daly.
The NHL is set to pause play for two weeks for the Winter Olympics. With an insistance that there is no contingency plan – Olympic hockey will only play at this newly-constructed arena next year – the NHL could find themselves in a true all-or-nothing situation. Daly spoke to the league’s optimism but also acknowledged that they may need to come up with an emergency solution, if faced with worst case scenario. What that solution would look like will be up to little more than speculation. The NHL set history with the 4-Nations Face-Off – an international, best-on-best tournament hosted by the NHL – last February. That could be a framework that let’s jettisoned Olypmians get back on the ice, while not disturbing the vacation plans of those not headed to Italy.
Yeeeeeah as someone who works in construction, ain’t no shot. If they don’t have occupancy by the end of this month, that facility won’t be ready, full stop. Calling it now, we’re gonna hear some crazy stories about the conditions of that arena… Stuff not finished, poor crowd management, all kinds of stuff.
You’ve obviously never worked in Italy. The standards are much lower and occupancy will not be an issue. Quality, yes , but it will be in operation for the Olympics
I couldn’t be happier, THE IOC is corrupt, It’s a MEANINGLESS exhibition, And the Olympics holds the NHL season hostage.
I honestly can’t wait for this whole Olympic tournament to be over with as I’m actually tired of hearing about it. We have been hearing about it for the past year and a half to a overrated exhibition that really doesn’t mean a thing in the end, for some medals that are not even technically medals anymore (they are cheap replicas now). It is what it is IMO.