NHL-sized rinks ‘too small as is,’ says U.S. Olympic coach Mike Sullivan
Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan does not appear thrilled with the Olympic rink saga.
Amid reports that the ice surface just outside Milan could be four feet shorter than NHL standard, Sullivan — who doubles as New York Rangers bench boss — was asked his thoughts.
“I don’t know that I have any,” he said wryly, per Mollie Walker of the New York Post.
Typically, international hockey events outside of North America employ a larger ice surface than the NHL, which promotes speed and skill over size.
But it’s trending toward the opposite being true in Italy.
“I hope that’s not the case,” Sullivan said. “I think the NHL rink is too small as it is. When you think in terms of the evolution of the game and the evolution of people, we’re playing on the same size ice surface that the players were playing in the 50s, you know?”
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The rink has been generating headlines, thanks to construction delays that pushed back a test event originally scheduled for early December to Jan. 9-11.
The first Olympic game at the rink is in the women’s preliminary round, which starts on Feb. 5, one day before the opening ceremony.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there is no Plan B in case the rink is not completed on time.
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