Overview
- The IIHF confirmed the Santa Giulia and Ice Park Rho rinks will be nearly one meter shorter than NHL standards.
- Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said NHL players will not take the ice if they judge the surface unsafe.
- The league has sent ice experts and outside providers to Milan and describes its outlook as cautiously optimistic with no Plan B.
- Organisers and the IIHF call the differences minor, citing compliance with federation rules and precedents from Beijing 2022 and NHL Global Series events.
- Construction at Santa Giulia is slated to finish on February 2, three days before the women’s tournament opens, with the men’s tournament beginning on February 11.