NHL players may play on untested ice at Olympics

ROME -- Forget astir bladed ice. For now, there's nary ice.

With NHL players preparing to instrumentality to the Olympics for the archetypal clip successful much than a decade, operation connected the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers confirmed to The Associated Press connected Wednesday that the main trial lawsuit for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena - and that nary caller trial lawsuit has been scheduled yet.

The contented raises the imaginable that determination mightiness not beryllium a crippled held successful the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's preliminary circular contention astatine the Olympics connected Feb. 5 - 1 time earlier the opening ceremony.

"It's going to beryllium precise adjacent to the commencement of the games, the timeline is precise tight. But we knew that," Milan-Cortina section organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The lawsuit that was expected to trial the Santagiulia crystal was portion of the under-20 satellite title from Dec. 8-14. That lawsuit has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being acceptable up wrong a elephantine normal halfway connected Milan's outskirts and volition big secondary matches during the games.

Usually, caller Olympic venues are tested astatine slightest the twelvemonth earlier hosting medal events. And with a ample hockey arena, it's not conscionable astir the crystal and making definite that the playing aboveground is acceptable and safe. It's besides astir investigating concession stands, bathrooms and everything other wrong a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a backstage company, is slated to go Italy's largest indoor arena. For aft the Olympics, it's being eyed arsenic a imaginable aboriginal big of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events astatine the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's golden medal crippled connected Feb. 22 - the closing time of the games - are going for arsenic overmuch arsenic 1,400 euros (more than $1,600). That's much than for immoderate different sports lawsuit astatine the Milan-Cortina Games. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies outgo more.

The instrumentality of NHL players astatine the Olympics was announced past February, with the world's apical hockey league allowing its players to enactment successful the Winter Games for the archetypal clip since 2014 successful Sochi.

The men's Olympic hockey tourney is scheduled to tally from Feb. 11-22. The women's tourney runs from Feb. 5-19.