MILAN รขโฌโ Hockey, one of the premier events at theรย Winter Olympicsรย and one that is welcoming NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will take place on ice that is shorter than NHL-regulation size.
Men’s and women’s games at two arenas will be played in rinks that are 60 metres long by 26 metres wide, or 196.85-by-85.3 feet. NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet (60.96 by 25.908 metres), so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than three feet shorter.
The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rinks, which fit one of the governing bodyรขโฌs standard sizes and was used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.
The IIHF shifted to the NHL dimensions at the Olympics beginning in 2018 and used again in 2022. The 2026 Games in February mark the first time NHL players will be at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi.ร
The IIHF on Monday confirmed the different size was in place in Milan without explanation.
รขโฌลWhile these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications,รขโฌ the federation said.
รขโฌลAll involved, the IIHF, the organizing committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and the relevant venue authorities agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant, and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play.รขโฌ
Olympic hockey had been played on international ice of 60 by 30 metres (196.85 by 98.4 feet) in 1998, 2006 and 2014, with a slight variation in Salt Lake City in 2002. It was played on NHL-sized ice in Vancouver in 2010 because of the existing arenas.
รขโฌลItรขโฌs the same for every team, and I think thatรขโฌs the bottom line,รขโฌ Finland menรขโฌs hockey general manager Jere Lehtinen told The Associated Press. รขโฌลOur coaches, maybe itรขโฌs more interesting and something you need to pay attention more.รขโฌ
Canada general manager Doug Armstrong first brought up the ice being slightly off from NHL regulation size on a podcast in early September and then discussed it again in October. National federations have been aware of the specs for quite some time; Canada assistant coach Peter DeBoer broached the topic recently on a radio show, raising questions about why it’s not NHL-sized ice.
The ice dimensions will be the same in both hockey arenas in February: the main arena that is still being built and the smaller, temporary venue that is situated inside an exhibition centre.
Construction at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena รขโฌโ the new, 16,000-seat venue on the outskirts of Milan รขโฌโ isรย going down to the wireรย and organizers told The AP thatรย there was รขโฌลno plan B.รขโฌ
A test event had to be moved to the Rho Ice Hockey Arena and new test events at the main venue arenรขโฌt scheduled until Jan. 9-11, less than a month before the first puck is dropped. Workers on Friday were still putting the finishing touches to the venue in Rho, just three days before the start of the IIHF Group B Under 20 World Championship that will serve as a test event.
รขโฌลWeรขโฌre aware that theyรขโฌre behind schedule a little bit, but weรขโฌre all assuming that thatรขโฌll all be taken care of,” Canada menรขโฌs assistant coach Bruce Cassidy said last week.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has brought up logistics concerns repeatedly. At theรย leagueรขโฌs annual fall Board of Governors meetingรย in October, he said: รขโฌลWe are constrained in what we can and canรขโฌt do, request and demand and if it reached a certain point, weรขโฌll have to deal with it. But Iรขโฌm not speculating, and weรขโฌve been constantly assured by the IOC and the IIHF that it will be OK.รขโฌ
The menรขโฌsรย Olympic hockey tournamentรย is scheduled from Feb. 11-22. The womenรขโฌs tournament runs from Feb. 5-19.
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