Milano Santagiulia Arena ice cool puck drop

Article posted by Coliseum, February 11^th, 2026

Image: CTS Eventim

All the worries, strife and scrutiny that lingered around the construction of the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Olympics (Italy) dissipated as the first game there turned into a celebration for the host country.

‘AP’ stated that fans in the lively, near-full crowd chanted, “Italia! Italia!” throughout. Host Italy’s women’s team beat France 4-1 on February 5^th and while the conditions may not have been perfect, getting through an official game marked a milestone for the much-talked-about Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Winter Olympic Games and commonly known as Milano Cortina 2026, is an international multisport event currently underway from February 6^th, 2026 and will conclude on February 22^nd, 2026. It is being held at sites across Lombardy and Northeast Italy with competition in selected events beginning on February 4^th, 2026.

Ice hockey and Para ice hockey will take centre stage at the 16,000-capacity Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Located in the Santa Giulia district this state-of-the-art multipurpose venue has been built for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 by a private investor and is ready to welcome the roar of the crowd and the thrill of competition during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games which is presently underway. After Milano Cortina 2026, the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena will be transformed into a multifunctional centre for sport events and live entertainment in the City.

Said Italy’s Laura Fortino, “I believe in the Olympic Committee and the Italians and that they would get it done. The ice was great, the atmosphere is great and we’re happy to be here.”

‘AP’ further stated that there were years of concerns about whether the arena would be finished in time for the Olympics and it needed a rush to the eleventh hour including work happening as late as February 4^th – less than 24 hours before puck drop. This was the real test of the new ice surface that needed to be fixed up after a series of test events

Ice master Don Moffatt had doubts as recently as early last week when his preparation hit yet another snag. When meaningful hockey finally took place it drew mixed but mostly positive reviews.

Opined Gabrielle de Serres, who scored France’s only goal, “Quality of the ice-wise, I think it was fine. It’s a bit warm in there. It’s a little sweaty on the ice. With all the bodies, it obviously gets warmer. February 5^th was a sunny day, so, on top of that, midday game’s going to be kind of hot out there.”

Italy fell behind in the game and ice hockey player Amie Varano thought the ice aided the comeback.

“It was solid,” said Varano, who’s from Massachusetts (US). “I felt like we were flying as a team. We’re a fast team so I feel like the ice was prepared for us and, yeah, it was great. I loved it.”

The capacity now is just 11,600, down from an estimated 14,700, after the decision was made not to add the extra seats in an effort to stay as on-schedule as possible to get the building done. There were 10,000 or more in attendance for Italy-France and the fans were into the game from the start.

Maintained Martina Fedel, Italy goaltender, “It was probably one of the most fun games I’ve ever played. The atmosphere was unbelievable. I don’t think we thought it was going to be anything like that.”

Varano could not find words to describe a day she and her teammates have been talking about for three months. Fortino shed some tears of joy skating around the rink afterward as the emotions poured out.

Concluded Fortino, “It just hits such to the heart. We all deserve it. We’ve worked so hard.”

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