NHLers are making their long awaited comeback to the Winter Olympics next year, but is the stage truly set for their return? A recent, unofficial peek at the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan has caused quite a stir, and many are wondering if it will be ready to welcome the top ice hockey players in time for the puck drop.

The worries were intensified when Darren Dreger, a hockey analyst for TSN, posted a video update on platform X, giving viewers a “quick peek at the main arena in Milan.” The video showed a busy building site that was still a long way from finished, confirming many concerns.

According to Dreger, “Obviously, a lot of work needs to get done,” but he also added a cautiously optimistic note regarding the perspective of the NHL, saying, “The NHL sounded positive earlier this week at BOG meetings the work will get done in time for the Olympics.”

To make matters worse, the arena is not planned for a major test until January 9-11, 2026, which leaves an extremely little window to fix any problems before the women’s competition starts on February 5.

A wave of skepticism and anger erupted among hockey fans around the world in response to this sneak peek of the arena’s condition, given that the Games are only a matter of weeks away.

The fans aren’t pleased as the 2026 Winter Olympics near

Watching the clock and the state of the stadium didn’t exactly fill the fans with joy. Many questioned the fundamental timeline, with one fan asking, “How is this arena not done. They didn’t just get awarded the Olympics earlier this year.” Others criticized the arena’s apparent design, with a comment noting, “That’s cool and all by why the f*** would they design it like that? They’re missing 25% of the bowl.”

Aside from the building delays, the confirmed size of the ice surface is a key topic of controversy. The rink will be around 197 feet in length, which is roughly three feet shorter than the typical 200-foot NHL rink, according to NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who verified the information not long ago.

“I think the IIHF was under the impression they had a different interpretation of what NHL ice meant than we would have. Even at the site visits I’m not sure it was anything that was perceptible to anybody. It’s not like people bring tape measures there. So, for whatever reason, it came back the way it came back,” he said.

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This has led to complaints like, “Why is Olympic hockey being played on this tiny sheet? What a joke,” and “What a joke this place is. There’s so much room around the ice on the renderings, there’s zero reason it can’t be regulation NHL size. There’s no space constraint.”

Perhaps the most pointed criticism focused on the visible pace of work, with a fan observing, “And not one worker in site. There should be 100 workers in there stepping on each other to get their work done 3 shifts a day. Better have a plan B because ain’t no way that’ll be done in time.”

Publicly, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has criticized the sluggish construction as “disappointing,” pointing out that past Winter Olympics’ facilities were never this close to completion. In an effort to lessen the potential impact, the NHL has sent its own ice technicians and specialists to Milan to lend a hand with the last-minute arrangements.

For fans eagerly awaiting the return of NHL stars to the Olympic stage after a 12-year absence, the unfinished arena in Milan has transformed excitement into a tense waiting game.