At the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, hockey fans can expect a slightly different game - literally. The ice surface at Santagiulia Arena will measure 60 meters by 26 meters, or 196.85 feet by 85.3 feet.
That’s just over three feet shorter and only a few inches wider than a standard NHL rink. And while that might sound like a minor tweak, for players operating at the highest level, it could have a real impact.
Originally, the plan was for NHL-sized ice, per an agreement between the NHL, NHLPA, IIHF, and the IOC. But now, with the IIHF reportedly approving the change, the Olympic tournament will be played on a rink that’s neither the traditional NHL nor Olympic size. It’s somewhere in between - and that’s raised some eyebrows.
Some players, like Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon - already named to Team Canada - have known about the rink dimensions since the summer. Canada GM Doug Armstrong has even mentioned the change publicly a few times since September. But for others, the news came out of nowhere.
“I found out the same time as you,” said Matt Boldy of the Minnesota Wild, a strong candidate for Team USA. His teammate Brock Faber first saw the dimensions on Instagram and wasn’t sure if it was even real. Mika Zibanejad, a hopeful for Sweden, hadn’t heard about it at all until asked midweek.
Even Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan admitted on Thursday that he wasn’t aware of the change, saying he hoped the reports weren’t true. The NHL and NHLPA also seemed caught off guard.
Early in the week, an NHL source called the reported dimensions “inaccurate,” before later clarifying the league was “looking into it.” The union echoed that sentiment.
Neither organization had issued a formal statement by Thursday evening, but both are scheduled to meet with the IIHF and IOC on Friday - and that’s likely when more clarity will come.
That said, one league source downplayed the issue, calling the difference “insignificant” and saying there were no safety concerns.
But when it comes to the players - especially those who thrive on open ice - the change is more than just a footnote.
MacKinnon was clear: “If you have a foot less space, it can be a big difference. If you get a foot closer in the slot, I think that could be a big difference. But it’s the same for everybody.”
That’s the key - it’s a level playing field. But it’s also a tighter one.
New York Islanders forward Jonathan Drouin pointed out how that inch-by-inch space matters for elite skaters and puck movers like Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Connor McDavid, and MacKinnon himself. “Those guys need every little inch of room they can get to make those moves,” he said.
Bo Horvat, Drouin’s teammate and a potential Team Canada selection, agreed: “Time and space is so limited already, and to take that away is going to be even more. It’ll be tight-checking hockey for sure.”
German Olympian Nico Sturm didn’t hold back: “I’m just flabbergasted a bit of how they handled that. It’s just an arbitrary size.
Either you make it Olympic or you make it NHL-sized. Now it’s neither.”
The uncertainty has even sparked questions from former NHLers. Chris Pronger chimed in on social media, asking where the missing 3.5 feet would be removed from - the neutral zone or the end zones? That’s not a small detail, especially when you consider how much speed and structure flow through the neutral zone in today’s game.
Historically, Olympic rinks have been 60 meters long but 30 meters wide - significantly larger than NHL ice. Sullivan, who also coaches the New York Rangers, said he’d actually prefer the opposite approach: go bigger, not smaller.
“The NHL rink is too small as it is when you think in terms of the evolution of the game and the evolution as people,” he said. “We’re playing on the same-sized ice surface that the players were playing on in the 50s. The guys playing today are bigger, stronger and faster than they’ve ever been.”
That evolution has made the game feel faster and more compressed, even without shrinking the ice. So shaving off a few feet? That only tightens the screws.
Urho Vaakanainen, a Rangers defenseman hoping to make Finland’s roster, expects the smaller sheet to eliminate time and space entirely. “You’re probably going to be in people’s faces all the time,” he said.
“In terms of defending, I don’t mind it. Let’s say in breakouts, everyone is going to be on top of you right away.”
For players used to the larger European rinks, the transition could be jarring. But as Vaakanainen noted, they’ll feel it - and fast.
Still, not everyone sees it as a problem. Sturm, who plays for the Wild, said the smaller rink actually suits his game.
“I like to close in really fast,” he said. “For guys who probably want more ice and space, they probably won’t love it.
The guys that play in Europe for most of the year, they’ll struggle.”
Martin Nečas of the Avalanche, already named to the Czech team, echoed that sentiment. “To me, I think it’s better that it’s smaller than if it’ll be bigger,” he said.
“I think it’s going to be even better for the fans. It’s going to be super quick, super fast-paced.
I’m excited.”
The big question now: where exactly are those missing feet being taken from?
Horvat heard it’ll come out of the neutral zone. That would make gaining speed through the middle of the ice more difficult, and could force teams to simplify their entries and transitions.
“There’s not going to be too many plays to be made through the neutral zone,” Sturm added. “You have to try to just get the puck in the zone probably.”
Zibanejad wondered aloud if anyone would’ve even noticed the change had it not been reported. Now, he said, players might start overthinking it.
Rasmus Andersson, a Swedish hopeful and defenseman for the Calgary Flames, summed up the uncertainty: “It might be good. It might be bad. I don’t know.”
But MacKinnon, ever the competitor, isn’t sweating it.
“It’ll change things,” he said. “But who cares?”
At the end of the day, the best players in the world will still be on the ice. The surface might be a little shorter, the corners a little tighter, but the stakes? As big as ever.