NHL players going to Olympics could be cancelled, says top league figure

Major concerns are being raised about Italy and the IOC's construction of the Olympic Rink in Milan. New details have emerged showing the arena won't meet international standards, and will actually be even smaller than NHL standards.

Even more concerns about the building may prevent the NHL going entirely. Now Bill Daly is confirming the league may pull out of the Olympics.

The construction for the Olympic Rink in Milan is far behind schedule, even accounting for the mistaken size of the ice.

According to insiders, the possibility that the rink won't be completed by February of 2026 is now becoming a legitimate scenario. As recently as Halloween, the rink didn't even have a roof completed.

The smaller ice will be an issue that actually affects the games. It will favour North American players who are more used to smaller dimensions, but even smaller than the NHL standard could seriously reduce the amount of open space on the ice - and increase the effectiveness of physicality.

However, the NHL seems to be okay with keeping their commitment and sending players even with the ice issues. But if there's no arena completed, that's a different story.

The rink in Milan has already cancelled one pre-Olympic test this week as the arena is still under construction. Now they've scheduled another test event in early January, so fans can watch out for that deadline.

It would be unbelievably disappointing if the NHL had to pull out of the Olympics and lose out on the first full best-on-best competition since 2014. Fans and players have lobbied hard for this, but it may come down to construction schedules for it to happen. Honestly, it's utterly ridiculous.