Ice hockey-Slovakia's Tatar gets used to 'weird' sound at Milano Cortina venue

MILAN, Feb 4 : From its size and shape to its texture and feel, the ice for the Milano Cortina Olympic ice hockey tournaments has faced considerable scrutiny before play has even begun.

On Wednesday, a new potential grievance emerged: the ice makes a weird noise - or so said Slovakian men's team forward Tomas Tatar.

"I'm not saying it's bad," Tatar, a former NHL player who now competes in the Swiss National League, told reporters after practising at the Santagiulia arena, a newly constructed facility in Milan.

"It's just that sound is weird, you're not really used to it, so I don't really know what it means and why it is, but there are some spots on the ice when you skate that have that weird sound."

Most players and coaches have voiced a readiness to adapt to the playing surfaces at Santagiulia and Milano Rho, which are shorter than NHL and PWHL standards.

Workers were rushing to get Santagiulia ready on Wednesday, with the home women's team set to launch their Olympic campaign there on Thursday, while players and coaches at Milano Rho generally approved of their conditions.

"It takes time for ice like this, when it's not used all the time, to gain form," said U.S. women's coach John Wroblewski after the 2025 world champions left practice at Milano Rho.

"(Pucks will) skip up all over the place these first couple of days and the ice is a little bit more what you'd call 'brittle'... but for these players give them two games and the ice conditions will be exactly what they (expect)."