Minnesota Wild operations director Manager Bill Guerin is among those concerned about the state of the hockey rink in Milan with the 2026 Winter Olympics games just months away.
The problem is the rink is being built slightly smaller than NHL standard, and that has coaches and managers worried about player safety and fairness, especially since the agreement was to use NHL-spec dimensions.
Officials are worried the smaller size will affect the safety and speed of the hockey tournament.
“These are the best player in the world,” says Guerin, ” there’s no doubt they could adjust to anything, but three feet is a lot.”
He also weighed in on the quality of Olympic structures from past years.
” A lot of times the facilities are not built to last,” he says ” because they are just going to abandon them anyway.”
Adding to the controversy, the new 16,000-seat arena remains under heavy construction with less than 90 days before the opening of the Games.
Test events at the facility, which will host both the men’s and women’s hockey tournaments, have already been postponed until January.
Local organizers for the Milan-Cortina Games have conceded there is “no Plan B” if the facility is not completed in time for the first scheduled game on Feb. 5, underscoring the tight timeline and the mounting pressure from the global hockey community.
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