MILAN — The hockey boards at Santagiulia Arena will be changed to a lighter color beginning Tuesday, an IIHF spokesperson told ESPN on Monday.
The IIHF said they typically refresh boards midway through a hockey tournament after wear and tear, however, in a joint decision between the IIHF, IOC and Milan Cortina organizing committee, they will also change the color to something slightly lighter after receiving feedback from teams and federations.
Santagiulia Arena was built for the 2026 Olympics, and it will host the medal games of the men’s and women’s hockey tournament. The men’s tournament begins its quarterfinal round Tuesday.
Players so far have noted that the deep turquoise color of the boards at Santagiulia are much darker than those they are used to seeing in professional hockey arenas, including the NHL.
There have been several fluky goals in the Olympics so far, including one let in by USA goaltender Jeremy Swayman in a group stage game against Denmark.
Swayman said after the game that he lost sight of the puck because it was “the perfect height, right between the stands and the board level.” He also joked it didn’t matter to him because he is colorblind.
“It’s something all of us always have to face, and we play in different arenas every night in the NHL,” Swayman said. “So this is just another one and a challenge we’ll have to embrace.”
Swayman’s teammates stood up for him, but said the new arena is something they’re all adjusting to.
“Nine times out of 10 — or 99 times out of 100 — he’s going to have that,” USA forward Jack Eichel said. “It’s a crazy play. I don’t know, I lost the puck up in the lights a few times tonight as well. The setting is a little bit different.”
