Olympic Hockey Venue Delays Raise Eyebrows, But NHL Veterans Have Seen Worse
As the countdown continues to the Milan-Cortina Olympics, hockey fans eager to watch stars like Connor McDavid and Marie-Philip Poulin might be feeling a bit uneasy. Over the weekend, news broke that the Milano SantaGiulia Ice Hockey Arena - the main venue for Olympic hockey - won't be fully ready when the Games begin. That’s not exactly the kind of headline you want to see with puck drop just days away.
The arena is scheduled to host its first game on Thursday, when Italy takes on France in the women’s preliminary round. But according to Christophe Dubi, the International Olympic Committee’s executive director for the Games, not every part of the venue is finished. Still, Dubi insists that what’s essential for the games to proceed will be in place.
“Do we have every single space in that venue finished? No,” Dubi told the BBC.
“Is everything in that venue needed [for the games to be held]? No.”
That might not be the most reassuring quote, especially with NHL players expected to take part in the Olympics for the first time since 2014. And the league is keeping a close eye on the situation. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has made it clear: if the arena is deemed unsafe, the NHL will pull its players.
But while safety is non-negotiable, pristine conditions? That’s a different story.
NHL players - especially the veterans - have played in some downright wild environments over the years. To put the current situation in perspective, we tapped into stories from longtime pros who’ve laced up in some of hockey’s most infamous barns.
Snowstorms and Sabotage in Italy
Rick Green, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 NHL Draft, spent 15 years in the league and saw his fair share of questionable ice. But nothing quite compared to what he experienced after his NHL days, when he briefly joined a team in Murano, Italy.
“I went over there for a couple of months and we played in an outdoor rink,” Green recalled. “We ended up a lot of times playing in a snowstorm - that was quite interesting. Another experience.”
How bad was it? So bad that visibility became a factor.
“You couldn’t see the lines on the ice and the referee said: ‘We won’t call the game until we can no longer see the lines,’” Green said. “We were such a terrible team I would go about using my stick and covering the lines over with snow so that they couldn’t see the lines and hopefully they would cancel the game so that I wouldn’t have to play and lose again.”
That’s the kind of veteran ingenuity you don’t teach in practice.
The Cow Palace Chronicles
Then there’s Louie DeBrusk, the former NHL enforcer turned Sportsnet analyst. He’s got a soft spot for the Cow Palace in San Francisco - a rink that’s as much legend as it is relic.
“Worst rink? Maybe the Cow Palace,” DeBrusk said.
“I mean, I liked being there even if the ice wasn’t great because I not only had a pretty good fight - with Lyndon Byers - but I scored there. I didn’t get many goals, so I always remember the rinks where I scored.”
But the charm ended once you left the ice.
“The visiting dressing room was in the corner of the rink, up some stairs. Like rickety wooden stairs; just to get into a tight, messy dressing room,” he said.
“Then you had to walk all the way around (to the benches). On these mats that were really thin, not even a sixteenth of an inch thick.
I’m a heavy guy. You’re walking and I would go right through it.
I would lose an edge.”
Perspective from the Trenches
All of this is to say - hockey players are built for adversity. Whether it’s snowstorms in Italy or splintering floorboards in San Francisco, they’ve found ways to battle through.
Of course, the stakes are higher when you’re talking about the Olympic Games and the best players in the world representing their countries. Safety has to come first.
But if the issue in Milan is more about polish than practicality, there’s a long history of players making do - and even thriving - in far worse conditions.
So while the Milano SantaGiulia Arena might not be picture-perfect just yet, don’t count out the game. The ice doesn’t need to shine for the hockey to be great - just ask the guys who’ve played through the muck, the mess, and the madness.