If the ice isn’t safe, the NHL will take its puck and go home.

That was the message NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters in Colorado on Monday amid news of ongoing issues with the Olympic ice hockey rink being constructed in Milan, Italy for the Winter Games in two months.

Daly had told NHL owners that he didn’t believe the issues were “insurmountable,” but with a tight window between expected completion and the start of the men’s tournament, the message was straightforward.

General view inside the stadium during the 2026 IIHF U20 World Championship Division Group B match between Estonia and Japan at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on December 08, 2025 in Milan, Italy. The event serves as test event for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Getty Images

“If the pla

See Full Page