First came alarming reports that the construction of the new main arena, Santagiulia Arena in Milan, was delayed, then the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) announced that the rink dimensions in the Olympic arenas did not meet NHL standards.
The NHL has, with some hesitation, bought it.
One thing the league will not compromise on is the quality of the ice. At an ongoing meeting of NHL team general managers in Colorado Springs, Bill Daly, the league's deputy commissioner, said that the NHL will assist the organizer with its ice experts.
We have made them aware that we are there to help and the closer we get, we assess whether they have sufficient resources.
"If the players feel the ice is not safe, we don't play. It's that simple," Daly said, according to nhl.com.
But he adds that he is not overly concerned about it and that the latest reports from Italy regarding the new main stadium – which is due to be opened in early January – make him “cautiously positive”.
However, the NHL has reacted with some irritation to the fact that the Olympic rinks do not meet NHL dimensions. The rink will be 60 meters long and 26 meters wide, which is barely a meter smaller in both width and length than the NHL dimensions.
Something that the IIHF has downplayed and called the difference "negligible".
Both we and the players' union have made the IIHF very aware that we will also participate in the Olympics in 2030 and then we expect it to be on NHL rinks, says Daly.
