The problems just keep piling up for Italy’s 2026 Winter Games ice hockey arena that’s still under construction in Milan, raising questions about the participation of National Hockey League players.

Not only are there concerns about whether the arena will be finished in time for the Olympics, there are new reports that the ice surface is some 3-feet short of the NHL standards agreed to in a deal finalized in July.

But Utah Mammoth owner Ryan Smith posted Thursday on X that he’s “confident Italy will solve this ice problem by February.” He also said Utah’s 2034 Winter Games will do better.

Smith promised in the post that the “ @nhl Utah Olympic experience will be next level!” Ice hockey will be held on the Mammoth’s home ice at the Delta Center in 2034. The arena, owned by Smit

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