NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly Addresses Concerns Over Olympic Ice Quality
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The National Hockey League (NHL) has expressed concerns over the quality of the ice at the upcoming Olympics in Milan, with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stating that if the players feel the ice is unsafe, “then we’re not going to play.” This statement was made after the NHL board of governors meetings on Monday, where Daly informed league owners that he didn’t believe the construction issues with the Olympic ice hockey rink were “insurmountable.”
The main hockey arena in Milan is scheduled to be finished on February 2, with the women’s hockey tournament beginning three days later and the men’s tournament, featuring NHL players, starting on February 11. This leaves very little time for any potential issues to be addressed. The Olympic arenas will host three games a day for nearly three weeks, which will challenge the resiliency of the ice. Daly categorized the updates the NHL and NHLPA received last week as positive, but emphasized the league’s efforts to help ensure the arena is ready.
“We have offered and they’re utilizing our ice experts and technicians and outside providers,” Daly said. “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 will have ongoing access to the ice, including being on site for a test event scheduled for the main rink from January 9-11.
Ice Rink Dimensions a Concern
On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) acknowledged that the two rinks in Milan would be approximately 3 feet shorter than a standard NHL rink, measuring 196.85 feet by 85.3 feet instead of 200 feet by 85 feet. This goes against the agreement the NHL and NHLPA signed with the IIHF in July. Daly said the league found out about the skewed dimensions last week and was unsure how it happened, as some federations were made aware earlier but didn’t raise the issue.
However, the NHL and NHLPA are willing to look past this issue for now, although they will insist that the rink for the 2030 Olympics in France is built to NHL standards. “The players association has canvassed the players and apparently they did not believe it to be a big issue, health and safety issue or a competitive issue,” Daly said. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators played games on a similar-sized rink last month at the Global Series in Sweden, and the solution was to move the lines to account for the missing ice in the neutral zone rather than either offensive zone.
No Contingency Plan in Place
Organizers have insisted that there is no Plan B for the Olympic hockey tournament to be held elsewhere if the rink is not ready. Daly said the NHL also doesn’t have a contingency plan yet if it decides the ice is not suitable. “I mean, it kind of is what it is,” Daly said. “Having said that, if you’re faced with that being the reality, then you have to think about what you do next.” The NHL will go dark for a two-week period during the Games, and it’s unclear if it would be possible to reconfigure the schedule if necessary.
Daly expressed confidence in the league’s ability to respond to any emergency situations, saying, “I think in emergency-type situations like that in the past, I think we’ve responded appropriately, came up with good solutions and I have no doubt that we’ll be able to come up with good solutions if we’re faced with that.” As the situation continues to unfold, the NHL and its players will be closely monitoring the developments in Milan to ensure a safe and successful Olympic hockey tournament.
