It was announced Tuesday that the ice rinks at the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics will be smaller than a standard NHL-sized ice surface and, while the difference is only a couple of feet, NHL players seem to have differing opinions about adapting to the new rink size.
It's well known that NHL rinks are actually smaller than the international standard. That's part of the reason why European players sometimes have a learning curve when they first come over to play in North America, and why NHL hockey is viewed by some as being more physical than European hockey. Usually, IIHF rinks (including Olympic rinks) are 60 meters long and 30 meters wide, which translates to about 196.85 feet x 98.4 feet. That's significantly wider than NHL rinks, which are 200 feet x 85 feet.
However, the Milan Cortina dimensions are different than both of those figures, with the two rinks' measurements coming in at 60 meters x 26 meters, or 196.85 ft. x 85.3 ft. That's about three feet shorter than NHL rinks.
The announcement came as a surprise to some, including NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly who stated that if the players did not feel safe playing on the new rinks, then the NHL would withdraw its Olympic participation. Daly quickly added that as of now, they "did not believe it to be a big issue, health and safety issue or a competitive issue," so there's no need to fear the worst.
The IIHF released a statement addressing this discrepancy, saying that "all involved, the IIHF, the Organizing Committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and the relevant venue authorities agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant, and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play."
Though the governing bodies don't seem to have any concerns regarding the size difference, some NHL players are voicing that it could have an impact on the way they play at the Olympics. The Athletic spoke with multiple athletes who expressed that the playing surface might affect the overall gameplay.
Nathan MacKinnon shared that “if you have a foot less space, it can be a big difference” in terms of generating scoring chances. We can also expect to see an increase in physicality due to the smaller dimensions, according to Islanders forward Bo Horvat, who predicted that “it’ll be tight-checking hockey for sure.”
Meanwhile, players like Colorado Avalanche forward Martin Necas, who will be skating for his home country Czechia, don't see any negative outcomes from the size of the playing surface. In fact, he believes that it could produce some more exciting hockey.
“It’s not a big deal,” Necas told The Athletic. “To me, I think it’s better that it’s smaller than if it’ll be bigger. I think it’s going to be even better for the fans. It’s going to be super quick, super fast-paced. I’m excited.”
At the end of the day, regardless of the slight difference, we should all heed MacKinnon's words: “It’ll change things, but who cares?”
So, while it may take some adjustments, there's no need to fret about the playing surface being a bit smaller than what NHLers are used to.