"As the NHL's Board of Governors convened in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for their annual December meetings, the league was tracking construction updates for the Olympic ice hockey arena in Milan. One issue? Organizers had apparently signed off on a rink that didn't have the correct dimensions. Even more concerning: less than two months away from the tournament, the arena wasn't close to being finished."
"It should have been smooth sailing from there. Instead, things felt uncomfortably fragile just two months out. It's the IOC's event, and the NHL is just a guest. But while the NHL doesn't have control over any aspect of the Olympics, the league is shutting down its nearly $7 billion corporation for three weeks -- in a prime window, right after football ends -- meaning stakes are high."
The NHL monitored construction of the Milan Olympic ice hockey arena and found the rink built with incorrect dimensions and the arena unfinished less than two months before competition. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly warned that players would not play on ice they believed unsafe. A July agreement addressed earlier obstacles to NHL participation, but preparations remained fragile with the league pausing its nearly $7 billion operation for three weeks. The NHL sent top ice technicians to assist and gained arena access to consult. The rink was reported three feet shorter than NHL regulation, though officials said that would not materially affect safety or quality. Test events at Santagiulia Arena begin Jan. 9.
Read at www.espn.com
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