The NHL is playing a compressed schedule this season to accommodate the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. The league will take 3 weeks off in February from competition so its best players can compete for their home countries in the Olympic hockey tournament. However, the condition of the arena that is scheduled to house both men's and women's ice hockey has been an issue for several months.
The arena is not yet completed, but Chris Johnston of TSN reported that significant progress is being made on the facility as more than 2,000 construction employees are working to make sure the hockey facility is completed. Johnston's report indicated that there is significant hope that the building will be completed, but that doesn't mean that teams can confidently send stars like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to the event without any issue.
The biggest issue at this point is that the building has no ice. That seemingly will be the last element needed to complete the facility, but even if the ice is finished on time, will it be tested adequately before players compete on it? The Olympic ice hockey competition regularly consists of 3 games on an every-day basis. It may require a leap of faith to believe that the facility will be able to handle that kind of traffic without being tested.
No alternative hockey facility
Olympic officials have indicated that there is no Plan B and that it all comes down to the arena that is being constructed in Milan.
Canada and the United States will be considered the two biggest favorites in the men's Olympic hockey competition, with Sweden and Finland close behind. The other team that are scheduled to compete include Czechia, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia , Latvia, Denmark, France and the host nation of Italy.
This is the first time NHL players have competed in the Olympic hockey competition since 2014.
