MILAN — Hockey, one of the premier events at the Winter Olympics and one that is welcoming NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will take place on ice that is shorter than NHL-regulation size.
Men's and women's games at two arenas will be played in rinks that are 60 meters long by 26 meters wide, or 196.85-by-85.3 feet. NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet (60.96 by 25.908 meters), so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than 3 feet shorter.
The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rinks, which fit one of the governing body’s standard sizes and was used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.
The IIHF shifted to the NHL dimenstions at the Olympics beginning in 2018 and used again in 2022. The 2026 Games in February mark the first time NHL players will be at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi.
The IIHF on Monday confirmed the different size was in place in Milan without explaination.
“While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications,” the federation said. “All involved, the IIHF, the Organizing Committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and the relevant venue authorities agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant, and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play.”
Olympic hockey had been played on international ice of 60 by 30 meters (196.85 by 98.4 feet) in 1998, 2006 and 2014, with a slight variation in Salt Lake City in 2002. It was played on NHL-sized ice in Vancouver in 2010 because of the existing arenas.
“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 it’s more interesting and something you need to pay attention more.”
Canada general manager Doug Armstrong first brought up the ice being slightly off from NHL regulation size on a podcast in early September and then discussed it again in October. National federations have been aware of the specs for quite some time; Canada assistant coach Peter DeBoer broached the topic recently on a radio show, raising questions about why it's not NHL-sized ice.
The ice dimensions will be the same in both hockey arenas in February: the main arena that is still being built and the smaller, temporary venue that is situated inside an exhibition center.
Construction at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — the new, 16,000-seat venue on the outskirts of Milan — is going down to the wire and organizers told The AP that there was "no plan B."
A test event had to be moved to the Rho Ice Hockey Arena and new test events at the main venue aren’t scheduled until Jan. 9-11, less than a month before the first puck is dropped. Workers on Friday were still putting the finishing touches to the venue in Rho, just three days before the start of the IIHF Group B Under 20 World Championship that will serve as a test event.
“We’re aware that they’re behind schedule a little bit, but we’re all assuming that that’ll all be taken care of," Canada men’s assistant coach Bruce Cassidy said last week.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has brought up logistics concerns repeatedly. At the league's annual fall Board of Governors meeting in October, he said: "We are constrained in what we can and can't do, request and demand and if it reached a certain point, we'll have to deal with it. But I'm not speculating, and we've been constantly assured by the IOC and the IIHF that it will be OK."
The men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled from Feb. 11-22. The women's tournament runs from Feb. 5-19.
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Whyno reported from New York.
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