With weeks to go, necessary improvements certainly remain a major work-in progress. But at least now there is evidence — and hope — that Italian Olympic organizers should be capable of successfully welcoming the NHL’s elite to the Olympic stage, just four weeks from now.
MILAN, Italy - Call it the Italian ‘Miracle on Ice,’ if you will.
The ice surface was far from perfect. Dressing rooms remain a work-in a progress. Fan concessions were non-existent. But after months of delays, uncertainty and stress among Olympic stakeholders, the first-ever hockey game was played at Milan’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on Friday.
It came just 26 days before the opening of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games,as National Hockey League stars return to the Olympic stage for the first time since Sochi 2014. The opening game was the first of seven to be played over the weekend, all part of a crucial Olympic test event, which was initially scheduled for December, but had to be cancelled as the arena was not ready for play.
In the opening game of the four-team event, SV Kaltern Caldaro Rothoblaas handily defeated HCMV Varese, 8-3 to advance to Sunday’s final in the Coppa Italia. Attired in Varese’s yellow-and-black colors, Bastille Raphard tallied the first goal at the Italy’s future Olympic arena at 3:04 of the first period on an assist from Borghi Marcella.
The hope is that it will be the first of many in the next couple of months.
Other than some die-hard Italian hockey fans, the outcome and final score were irrelevant to most. What truly mattered was that a tangible product was displayed on the smaller-than-expected ice surface, which is just one of multiple issues and concerns that many have with the newly built rink.
IIHF president Luc Tardif was on hand for Friday's game, ensuring that he delivers on the promise he made last week at the world junior championship, where he said that "You’re not going to go to Milano for nothing."
Does Size Really Matter? Why A Smaller Olympic Ice Rink Should Ring Alarm Bells
Milan's Olympic ice could be slightly smaller than NHL standards, sparking fears of organizational blunders and a compromised hockey experience for players and fans who have waited 12 years for best-on-best hockey.
Milan-Cortina 2026 president Giovanni Malago has promised, amid the NHL backlash, that developers and organizers are well aware of the tight time-frame and ensured there would be hockey played at the new Olympic venue in the southeastern part of Milan. His promise rang true on Friday night, an important first step to get things right.
Still, there were a few issues with the ice quality and other amenities.
A hole needed to be repaired near center ice in the second period, with a small team mending and smoothing the surface, resulting in about a five-minute delay. After this weekend's event, where seven games will be played in three days, a new coat of ice will be applied.
“Today the ice was not perfect, but it will be done again with new ice next week and I’m confident that it will continue to improve,” local Italian RAI play-by-play commentator Matteo Floccari told The Hockey News. “The Olympic Games here will be the biggest occasion ever that Italian ice hockey has ever had, having the greatest players in the world here. It will absolutely help grow the game in Italy, with Crosby and McDavid coming here.
"The jobs being done here have been growing in importance day-by-day and the situation is improving. I’m sure that for the beginning of the Olympics everything here, inside and outside will be ready."
The Hockey News was given a behind-the-scenes tour of the arena, where eight dressing rooms have been mostly completed, with another six to go. There is also an adjacent practice rink, which will be open for team practices on Saturday morning.
The modern-looking arena does look nice as one approaches from the outside, lit up in bright light. But it's still incomplete. Parts of the outdoor infrastructure of the brand-new venue have yet to be fully enclosed.
The corridors of the arena are mostly barren. A sign hanging from the wall read: "sandwiches," but nothing was open.
With weeks to go, necessary improvements certainly remain a major work-in progress. But at least now there is evidence — and hope — that Italian Olympic organizers should be capable of successfully welcoming the NHL’s elite to the Olympic stage, just four weeks from now.