First game in Milan’s Olympic hockey arena with major red flags unanswered

LATEST UPDATE:

The game got underway and insider Chris Johnston immediately pointed out, in his report, that "The ice surface appeared soft and snowy in its debut, and there was a delay in the first period after a big hole developed in front of one of the goals."

He also mentioned how a score board upgrade may be more than necessary:

"A tiny scoreboard that would look out of place in a Canadian junior rink hung over center ice. Organizers say it will be replaced by one that is twice as big before the start of the Olympics."

His report here:

Later on Friday, after the game to TSN, Johnston said "it's good and bad, the good: the ice and boards are up, they had about 1,000 fans for this first test event game Friday night. The not so good: it's still a construction site, lot of work left to be done."

EARLIER TODAY :

The first official test game inside Milan’s main Olympic hockey arena is finally here, and while it’s progress, it’s also raising more than a few eyebrows.

Live footage from MH1, the primary hockey venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics, shows an arena that looks significantly better than earlier previews. From a distance, the building finally resembles something worthy of hosting the world’s best players. But once you start looking closer, the concerns pile up quickly.

Here is the video from Chris Johnston:

For starters, the neutral zone appears shockingly small. Fans online were quick to point it out, joking, and not joking, that players like Team Canada’s Tom Wilson are going to turn that space into a demolition zone. Whether it’s camera angles or actual dimensions, it’s something that will only become clearer once players take the ice at full speed.

Then there’s the issue everyone immediately asked: where are the players supposed to get dressed?

A preview of the locker rooms released Thursday didn’t exactly inspire confidence. At this stage, they’re essentially empty rooms, no proper stalls, no functional wash areas, nothing resembling a finished NHL-caliber space. With the Olympics just 27 days away, that’s hard to ignore.

UPDATE: When the test game was about to start, Johnston reported that it was being delayed, because there's a giant hole in the ice.

"They brought out a watering can to try and patch it."

Construction on the arena began back in 2023, despite Milan winning the Olympic bid in 2019. The delays have already forced test events, including a U-20 world championship, to be relocated to a secondary venue. Planned pre-Olympic events here were quietly scrapped.

The 2026 Games mark the NHL’s long-awaited return to the Olympics for the first time since 2014. With testing only now beginning and major work still unfinished, both the NHL and NHLPA are reportedly watching developments closely.

For now, the puck will drop tonight, but the real test may be whether this building is truly adequate and ready in time.