The NHL Board of Governors meetings will be held this week as concerns about the hockey arenas for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics remain a “scorching-hot topic,” according to Eric Engels of SPORTSNET.ca. One participating team’s management group member said of the arena housing remaining incomplete, “It’s a joke.” Those convening at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Col., will not “be laughing at the situation.” With every day that goes by, concern “is mounting, making the subject unavoidable” during the Monday and Tuesday meetings. The governors are gathered to “receive the same updates they receive every December from the league -- on whether revenues are meeting, falling short or exceeding pre-season projections -- and to hear from the hockey operations department on player safety” (SPORTSNET.ca, 12/8). THE ATHLETIC’s Pierre LeBrun, citing sources, wrote that an Olympics update will “undoubtedly be the headliner during the update to owners” (THE ATHLETIC, 12/5).
PLAYER CONCERNS: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported there was “another meeting” on Friday between the NHL, NHLPA, the IOC and the IIHF. Friedman, appearing on Sportsnet’s “Hockey Night in Canada,” said that the league and NHLPA were “assured that the arena will be ready, although both believe there still has to be a lot of work done.” NHLPA Assistant Exec Dir Ron Hainsey told Friedman there is less concern over the size and dimensions of the ice and “more concern” about the ice itself. A test event held Jan. 9-11 “is going to be critical, very important in determining how good this ice is going to be.” Friedman: “While everybody here is saying we’re still going and hope this is all going to work out and be a great tournament, I still do believe the quality of the ice is the No. 1 concern” (“Hockey Night in Canada,” Sportsnet, 12/6).
In a statement provided to SBJ, the IIHF confirmed the ice surfaces “will measure 60.0 m x 26.0 m (approximately 196.85 ft. x 85.3 ft).”
“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. 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. We look forward to welcoming the world’s best players for a best-on-best competition at the Games.”
