Olympic Hockey Arena Cutting It Close, NHL Tries to Stay Positive Amid Warning

With the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics fast approaching and concerns that the hockey arena situation might create issues for the NHL and its willingness to send its players, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly offered an update on Monday. Suggesting the challenges aren’t impossible to overcome, Daly still brought a bit of a warning with the update.

The timeline is razor-thin to get things done, considering it sounds like things will be ready just three days before the first official game.

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Daly confirmed that the Olympic hockey rink is now scheduled for completion on February 2, and the first women’s tournament game is scheduled for February 5. That’s an incredibly tight turnaround, bringing concerns that come with testing the facility, prepping the ice, and ensuring player safety.

Despite that, Daly insists the NHL remains optimistic.

“Doesn’t seem to be anything insurmountable,” he said, noting most of the reports he’s receiving lean positive rather than negative. He was also clear on one key point, which is where the warning comes in. He said, “If players feel the ice is unsafe, we are not going to play.”

The size of the ice surface is much less of a concern than the ice quality. If things are being cut this close, even having it ready for one game is questionable. When taking into account that as many as five games will be on that ice surface in one day, even the best ice would have challenges holding up.

How Big Will The Olympic Ice Surface Be?

The IIHF released a statement confirming the rink will measure 60.0 m x 26.0 m (roughly 196.85 ft. x 85.3 ft). That makes it slightly wider and about three feet shorter than standard NHL dimensions. The IIHF emphasized that the differences are “insignificant” and shouldn’t affect safety or quality of play.

Looking ahead, Daly noted that for the 2030 Olympics, the ice will match full NHL dimensions.

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