NHL deputy commissioner warns players may skip 2026 Olympics amid construction concerns
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The long-awaited return of NHL players to the Winter Olympics could be extended due to concerns over the construction of the main ice hockey stadium for the Milan Cortina Winter Games in 2026.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Matt Larkin from the daily showdown that the return of NHL players to the Olympic Games after more than a decade of absence depends entirely on the ability of organizers to build the venue in time for the men’s competition, which will be held from February 11 to 22.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly speaks at a joint NHLPA and NHL press conference at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 27, 2025. (Brian Babineau/NHL via Getty Images)
“It depends on what percentage you want to assign to the possibility of the runway not being completed,” Daly said. “If no rink is completed, there will be no NHL players going to the Olympics.”
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Daly’s threat comes amid real concern over delays to the construction of the main stadium.
Local organizers told The News in October that the main test event scheduled in December for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia stadium was moved to a smaller stadium and that completion of the main stadium will be down to the wire.
Construction continues on the Milano Santagiulia ice hockey stadium for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, on January 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)
But last week, Milan Cortina Games chief operating officer Andrea Francisi told the AP that “there is no plan B” and that new test events have been scheduled until the second week of January.
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“That’s why we have to be able to organize the competition impeccably in Santagiulia,” added Francisi.
The first scheduled match at the stadium is a women’s preliminary round match on February 5, the day before the opening ceremony. However, Olympic venues are typically tested a year before hosting events.
There are not only concerns about its completion, but also about the ice surface.
Dylan Larkin of the United States, right, celebrates his goal over Canada with teammate Matt Boldy during the 4 Nations clash in Montreal on February 15, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
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The Athletic first reported that the ice sheet approved for Milan is about three feet shorter than the NHL’s standard dimensions for a rink. While the NHL has no control over the construction of the rink, the agreement between the league, the Players Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation states that the arena must be built to NHL standards.
Sources he told ESPN Wednesday that while there is no indication the league will pull its players from the Games, there are concerns about construction.
The News contributed to this report.
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