NHL 2026: The Olympics Will Be Mammoth!

[Jimjamesak]

Perfect example:

Reporter: "There's a GIANT hole in the ice here at the test event!"

Picture of said hole.

 

[aparch]

Sounds like its more organized than the UHL game I attended in like 2007 where they used every fire extinguisher in the building to try and flash freeze soft spots on the ice before a game.

Durijg warmups, players were cutting through the ice and hitting the concrete below while trying to turn on the ice.

Game was eventually canceled after two hours of dicking around. Even the UHL commissioner was trying to fix the ice.

 

[Jimjamesak]

Sounds like its more organized than the UHL game I attended in like 2007 where they used every fire extinguisher in the building to try and flash freeze soft spots on the ice before a game.

Durijg warmups, players were cutting through the ice and hitting the concrete below while trying to turn on the ice.

Game was eventually canceled after two hours of dicking around. Even the UHL commissioner was trying to fix the ice.

From reports it sounded like it was a five minute delay and everything resumed.

 

[Jimjamesak]

BTW, if you think things are sensationally stupid now just wait until 2030!

Current plan for ice hockey at the 2030 Winter Olympics is to covert the soccer stadium in Nice into two arenas for hockey. I know what you're thinking, "Oh it'll be like the stadium in Lille with basketball for the 2024 games where it has a retractable roof!" Well no, the stadium does not have a retractable roof. And it's in Nice, where it doesn't get cold in the winter. And the stadium is home to a Ligue 1 soccer team, so prep time might be limted.

 

[aparch]

So, an NHL outdoor game for the Olympics?

 

[Jimjamesak]

So, an NHL outdoor game for the Olympics?

Maybe? There only seems to be vague plans announced about “converting the stadium into two indoor arenas”. Nice is also supposed to build another arena for figure skating but there seems to be a lot of political opposition over it.

It’s kind of strange looking at the plans for 2030. Most of the plans are pretty solid, use existing facilities in the Alps. It’s just the plans for hockey, figure skating, both speed skating disciplines and curling are a bit “WTF?” And there’s really no back up options in France, there’s an arena in Lyon and maybe the one in Grenoble (the Meribel arena from 1992 is no more). Best backup options are in Italy or Switzerland.