Category: Sports News

Olympic hockey venues might not be fully finished, but tournament will go on originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The head of the International Ice Hockey Federation said parts of the main hockey rink for the Milan Cortina Olympics might not be fully finished on time, but the playing surface, practice facilities and dressing rooms will be ready when the puck drops for the men’s event Feb. 11.

“We can be confident on that,” IIHF President Luc Tardif told reporters Monday at the world junior championship. “You’re not going to go to Milano for nothing.”

Tardif added that the main arena will not be “exactly” what he expected in terms of capacity, with the number of seats set at 11,800.

“That’s a little bit short,” he said, according to The Canadian Press. “But it will be a nice setup for the Olympic Games.”

Construction delays and other concerns about the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena and secondary Rho facility have drawn headlines for weeks with the NHL returning to the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 and the women’s tournament opening Feb. 5.

The NHL has expressed concern about the construction and also the quality of the ice surface. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said last month in Winnipeg that the league will not send its players if there are any safety concerns with the ice.

The league is sending its own experts to Italy to ensure the ice is safe. The facility features rinks smaller than NHL standards but still within IIHF standards.

Tardif noted the IIHF isn’t overseeing construction — that’s up to the International Olympic Committee and local organizing officials — and can do only so much in terms of the timeline.

Tardif said he will be traveling to Italy with officials from the league and the NHL Players’ Association later this week for a test event at the venue.

“I’m confident about the quality of the infrastructure,” he said. “We would have liked to sleep much better … I think we will have a good competition, but maybe you can ask me the question after (this week).”

The NHL was caught off guard when it became apparent the two rinks’ dimensions will be slightly wider and 3 feet shorter than what the league and International Ice Hockey Federation agreed upon. Daly said the league and NHLPA have reminded the IIHF that they expect the ice surface to be standard NHL size at the 2030 Olympics in France.

After a long month, it appears the Pittsburgh Penguins are close to welcoming one of their best players back to the lineup. 

For the first time since going on injured reserve Dec. 9, center Evgeni Malkin skated in a full capacity with the team on Tuesday. Malkin, 39, has missed the last 15 games with an upper-body injury, which he clarified was a shoulder injury following practice.

His last game came Dec. 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, when he recorded two goals and three points. Malkin has eight goals and 29 points in 26 games on the season. 

"It's, like, crazy, because I'm not feeling any pain after game, but next morning, I wake up, and, like, my upper body, it's like I can't move my shoulder," Malkin said. "It's crazy."

Adding Malkin back to the lineup should bolster an already-buzzing group that has won five consecutive games since the holiday break. Prior to some bad injury luck for the Penguins, Malkin was skating on a line with Justin Brazeau and Anthony Mantha, and they saw a lot of success as a line. 

Tommy Novak has been centering that second line, where Malkin figures to slot back in. His return might make for some tough lineup decisions, but it's a good problem for the Penguins to have. 

"I think it was a good step in the right direction having him out there," head coach Dan Muse said. "Full-blown practice, looked good, got another practice day tomorrow... So, we'll continue to have conversations, but it was a good day for him."

Malkin said he hopes to play this week, but Muse didn't offer a specific timeline for his return to the lineup. The Penguins next play the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.

Takeaways: Penguins Roar Back From Three-Goal Deficit, Beat Blue Jackets In OTThe Pittsburgh Penguins extended their winning streak to five games in dramatic fashion against the Columbus Blue Jackets, which is just another indication that this team may be better than anyone thought.

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- Unfortunately, another player may have sustained an injury during practice. 

After a collision with a teammate, forward Rutger McGroarty left the ice and was attended to by the trainers, and he did not return to practice. Muse could not offer an update on McGroarty after practice. 

McGroarty has two goals and three points in 16 games this season. 

'You Can Never Be Satisfied In This League': McGroarty Taking Strides At NHL Level With PenguinsPittsburgh Penguins' forward Rutger McGroarty is learning every day at the NHL level - and he only figures to get even better with more experience at the highest level of hockey.

- Tuesday's practice was optional, as Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Yegor Chinakhov, Erik Karlsson, and Kris Letang were absent. 

- A decision looms on rookie defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who is headed back to Pittsburgh after helping Canada earn a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship. 

Brunicke, 19, cannot play in the AHL this season and has played in nine games at the NHL level, which means his entry-level contract has not been activated. However, another deadline looms, as Jan. 31 would mark 40 games that Brunicke will have been on the active NHL roster. 

Should Brunicke remain on the roster beyond that game, the Penguins lose a year of restricted free agency, and, therefore, team control. The Penguins are expected to come to a decision in the coming days on whether or not he will spend the rest of the season in the WHL.

NHL Rumors: Penguins Big Winger Makes New Trade BoardThis Penguins forward has been featured on a new trade board.

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Connor McDavid torched the Nashville Predators Tuesday night in Edmonton, recording his 14th career hat trick as the Oilers blew out the Nashville Predators, 6-2. 

McDavid is now up to 28 goals on the season. He kicked off the scoring for the Oilers in the first period, finding the back of the net on the power play. It marked the seventh straight game that Nashville has given up the first goal of the night. 

Edmonton poured it on in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals, to bump its lead to 3-0. McDavid netted his second goal of the night in the second frame on a penalty shot when Adam Wilsby held him on a breakaway. 

The Predators showed a little bit of life in the third period as Ryan O'Reilly scored his 12th of the season to snap Connor Ingram's shutout bid.

Ryan on the rebound 💥 pic.twitter.com/9pyKlME9Jp

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) January 7, 2026

Nic Hague let a shot go that rebounded off of Ingram's right pad and onto O'Reilly's stick for the easy put-back goal. Luke Evangelista was credited with a secondary assist. 

15 seconds later, Nick Blankenburg ripped a long shot from the left point that found the back of the net to cut Edmonton's lead to. 4-2. Reid Schaefer and Michael Bunting were awarded the assists.

Leon Drisaitl restored the Oilers ' three-goal lead, and McDavid added insurance in the final minute of the game, netting his third goal of the night. 

Nashville was dominated by the Oilers, getting outshot 43-26 and winning just 43.3% of the total face-offs. Juuse Saros made 37 saves on 43 shots, which is the most shots he's faced in a single game this season.

The Predators fall to 19-19-4 on the season and are three points outside of a Wild Card spot with 42 points. They wrap up their seven-game road trip going 4-3-0. 

Nashville returns to Bridgestone Arena on Thursday against the New York Islanders at 7 p.m. CST.