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'Nightmare': Hockey fans react to surfaced video of Olympic arena

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Jan 8 2026, 6:43 pm
'Nightmare': Hockey fans react to surfaced video of Olympic arena
Perry Nelson/Imagn Images

The arena used for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics may appear a bit unusual to fans watching in person and on TV.

There have been reports for over a month suggesting that the arena used at the Olympics was nowhere close to being game-ready. There have been photos and videos since that have given many doubts as to whether or not it will be completed in time, though the Olympic committee maintains that it will be.

Updates on the arena had been rather quiet as of late, but that all changed on Thursday morning when a user on X uploaded a new video featuring the ice surface and some other areas of the rink that still require work.

Meanwhile, the dressing rooms themselves don’t appear to be anywhere close to ready at this point in time.

While it was already known that the ice surface was going to be slightly smaller than NHL size, seeing it on video really shows the difference, particularly in the neutral zone.

Many others were quick to voice both their concerns and frustrations over how poorly this appears to have been put together for what is the most highly anticipated hockey event in quite some time.

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“I mean, at this point, the dimensions, it does not sound like, will be exactly to NHL spec,” TSN’s Chris Johnston explained on Insider Trading in early December. “And what I think is most interesting about this development is that it caught the NHL, or at least some people there, by surprise.

“And, you know, basically what I’ve been told is that the International Ice Hockey Federation approved a rink size of 60 metres by 26. That’s a little bit more than three feet short of a typical 200-foot length on an arena.”

While it may not sound like a lot, having a playing surface more than three feet smaller could be a major difference for players who possess ridiculous amounts of speed in their games.

Given that we haven’t heard anything suggesting otherwise, it does sound like this arena is expected to be ready to rock when the men’s side is set to begin action on Feb. 11. That said, the building itself may be rather underwhelming compared to what one would expect for a prestigious event like the Olympics.

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