Players asked for Santagiulia Arena changes mid-Olympics, and Team USA won’t complain

This storyline started long before the first puck drop in Milan.

For months, the worry was simple, Santagiulia wasn’t finished, and people around the sport questioned whether the hockey venue would be ready and adequate in time.

Then the next concern landed, the ice surface itself wasn’t built to the NHL-sized specs everyone expected.

Peter DeBoer even said it looked like the sheet would be smaller than NHL rink standards by “probably three or four feet,” which is not nothing when the game is this fast.

Now, with the tournament underway, the rink is being tweaked again.

Emily Kaplan reported the boards at Santagiulia Arena will be changed to a lighter color beginning Tuesday after player feedback, with an IIHF spokesperson noting board refreshes happen, but this color change is a response.

That matters because visibility is not a minor comfort thing for players, it’s part of safety and decision-making.

And it’s hard not to connect it to the moment that put the rink under a brighter lamp.

Swayman gave up a goal from near center ice against Denmark, a long-range shot that shocked everyone and instantly became a talking point across the tournament.

As a fan, you want the Olympics to feel polished, not like a venue still getting tuned on the fly.

But from the player side, you can understand why they pushed back, because boards, lighting, and contrast can mess with tracking in tiny, costly ways.

That Swayman goal might still be on him, but when players start talking about how the building looks, you at least listen.

The rink-size chatter also ties into how the games feel, because less length can compress time, tighten gaps, and turn harmless chips into instant pressure.

That’s why the U.S. message has to be “adapt fast,” not “complain later,” especially with medal-round hockey around the corner.

A small viral locker-room clip captured that vibe too, with Florida Panthers Matthew Tkachuk planted on a chair in the middle of the room, like a guy telling everyone to settle in and deal with whatever the Olympics throw at you.

That’s the real lesson of Santagiulia so far, the teams that recalibrate quickest will look calm, and the teams that don’t will look rattled.

And in a one-and-done tournament, looking rattled is basically the first step toward going home.