MILAN (AP) — Hockey, one of the most important events at the Winter Olympics and one that will welcome NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will be played on ice shorter than NHL regulations.
Men’s and women’s competitions at both venues will be played on a rink that is 60 meters long and 26 meters wide (or 196.85 x 85.3 feet). NHL dimensions are 200 x 85 feet (60.96 x 25.908 meters), so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than 3 feet shorter.
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The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rink, which meets one of the governing body’s standard dimensions and is used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.
The IIHF started switching to the NHL dimension at the Olympics in 2018 and will use it again in 2022. The February 2026 Olympics will mark the first time NHL players will compete in the Olympics since Sochi in 2014.
The IIHF confirmed on Monday that Milan had used different sizes but offered no explanation.
“While these dimensions differ slightly from typical NHL rinks, they comply with IIHF regulations, match the dimensions of the rinks used at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, and fully comply with the dimensions required by the NHL in its Global Series Venue Specifications,” the league said. “All involved at the IIHF, organizing committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and relevant venue authorities agreed that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant and should not affect the safety or quality of the games.”
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Olympic hockey games were played on 60 x 30 meters (196.85 x 98.4 feet) of international ice in 1998, 2006 and 2014, with the 2002 games held in Salt Lake City being slightly different. In 2010, games were played on an NHL-sized ice surface in Vancouver due to the existing venue.
“It’s the same for every team and I think that’s the bottom line,” Finland men’s hockey general manager Jere Lehtinen told The Associated Press. “Our coaches, maybe that’s more interesting and something you need to focus on more.”
Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong first mentioned the puck’s slight deviation from NHL-mandated sizes on a podcast in early September, then discussed it again in October. National federations have been aware of these norms for quite some time; Canadian assistant coach Peter DeBoer recently brought up the topic on a radio show and raised the question of why it’s not NHL-sized ice.
The ice size will be the same at both hockey arenas in February: the main arena, which is still under construction, and a smaller, temporary venue located inside the exhibition center.
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Construction of the 16,000-seat Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on the outskirts of Milan is about to enter its final stages, with organizers telling The Associated Press that there is “no Plan B.”
The test games must be moved to Rho Hockey Arena, and the new test games at the home venue are not scheduled until January 9-11, less than a month before the first puck drops. Workers were still putting finishing touches to the venue in Lowe on Friday, just three days before the start of the IIHF Group B Under-20 World Championship, which will serve as a test event.
“We knew they were a little behind schedule, but we all just assumed it would all work out,” Canada men’s assistant coach Bruce Cassidy said last week.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has repeatedly raised logistical concerns. “There are limits on what we can and can’t do, what we can and can’t do, and if it gets to a certain point we’re going to have to deal with it,” he said at the league’s annual fall council meeting in October. “But I’m not speculating, the IOC and IIHF have always assured us that everything will be fine.”
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled for February 11-22. The women’s championship will be held from February 5th to 19th.
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Vino reported from New York.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/winter-olympics