“Bucket list item: check”: A visit to the Olympic ice hockey tournament!

The Olympic Games have always had a special aura surrounding them, especially because the best athletes in the world only come together for these special competitions every four years. In the case of the Olympic hockey tournament, the period between best-on-best editions is even longer. In Milan it should finally be that time again. Reason enough to travel to Lombardy? A review.

Let’s rewind a few months: in July 2025, the NHL stars’ participation in the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina in 2026 was finally confirmed. The National Hockey League (NHL) will take a break of several weeks and give its superstars the chance to represent their country on what is arguably the biggest international stage. This is an opportunity for European fans to see cracks like Connor McDavid, Jack Hughes, Sebastian Aho and many others live.

You have to take advantage of this opportunity

Over the last 20 years, I’ve been able to attend a few NHL and junior games in Canada, but I probably won’t have this opportunity to have the best-on-best not far away again. But which games should they ultimately be? Our group of four hockey nerds decide to buy tickets for both semi-finals in the Santa Giulia Ice Arena – probably with the risk that surprises could arise in the games beforehand. At the beginning of February 2025, more than a year before the match day, we were able to get tickets for the semifinals. We consciously decided to go for the top spot – that turned out to be a very good decision. We spent around €200 per person and per game.

New arena raised doubts

The closer the games got, the more “exciting” the situation around the new arena became, which will primarily be used as a concert venue after the games. Initial reports raised doubts as to whether the NHL would back down, but in the end the structure was completed to a point where the tournament could be held without any concerns.

First “getting to know each other”

When the men’s ice hockey tournament opened on February 5th with the game between Sweden and Germany, there was certainly a certain amount of relief. A member of our group was there before the semi-finals and was able to get an initial impression of the infrastructure – and these initial reports were quite good. As an ardent supporter of the Finnish national team, he celebrated “leijonat’s” prestigious 4-1 victory over Sweden.

Fears for the semi-final participants

The group phase is over: Canada, Slovakia, the USA and Finland are in the quarter-finals. After the qualifying round, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden are also in the round of the last eight. My heart has always beated for Canada, so the quarter-final against the Czech Republic was definitely not easy. Also because leaving would mean that I wouldn’t see “my” superstars live. But Mitch Marner, my favorite Maple Leafs player, shot the top favorite for gold into the semifinals. I have been following the striker since Marner first pulled on the London Knights jersey at the tender age of 16. Twelve years later, he has developed into one of the better playmakers in the league and has definitely earned his place in Canada’s squad. The other quarterfinals are also not for the faint of heart: the USA celebrated a 2-1 OT victory over Sweden and Finland turned a 0-2 loss against Switzerland into a 3-2 overtime victory. Only Slovakia was able to clearly prevail against Germany.

So now here we go

It’s February 19th and after more than a year of anticipation, we’re finally heading to Lombardy to watch the best players in the world compete. It is over 650 kilometers by car to the city of 1.3 million inhabitants, which is best known for its two football clubs and the media and fashion industries. But Milan definitely has a lot of history and glamor to offer. But we’re not there yet, first we have to stop at Bergamo Airport and pick up a member of our travel group. He comes straight from his holiday in Tenerife and was able to save himself the long drive.

We booked our apartment in Milan a year ago. Also to avoid the horrendous costs surrounding the games. The nearest metro station is only five minutes away – it is only four stops to the station from which fans are taken to the hall by shuttle bus. And this concept was really good.

Bring on the semifinals

The first game, Canada against Finland, starts at 4:40 p.m., so we try to be in front of the Santa Giulia ice arena by half past three at the latest. Thanks to the really good infrastructure, it’s easy and we can take a nice souvenir photo with the Olympic rings. Shortly after half past three we go to the hall because we also want to attend the warm-up. At around 4 p.m. Finland and Canada take the ice. Outstanding to see so many world-class players on the ice together.

The “balance of power” in the hall was probably 75% Canada, 25% Finland, but the Northerners’ supporters were, as usual, doing a lot. The game was not for the faint of heart. Finland as expected, Canada tried hard, but not really compelling. But dominant as the encounter continues. The atmosphere when Nathan MacKinnon scored the 3-2 winner was absolutely electric. In the second semi-final, the tension was rather limited, but that was to be expected. The favored Americans had no problems against the Slovaks, who sometimes seemed overwhelmed, and booked their final ticket without any problems. In the arena you also ran into one or two celebrities, for example none other than biathlon superstar Martin Fourcade, who won six Olympic gold medals himself. The experience in and around the newly built arena was very good. Of course, the building is not 100% finished, but this fact did not detract from the experience. We left the second semi-final shortly before the end of the game. There were no waiting times at all when returning to the metro station, the concept worked perfectly.

“Olympic feeling” in downtown Milan?

Before the two semi-finals, we of course also visited the most famous corners of Milan: the cathedral, the world-famous gallery that is right next to it, the Castello Sforzesco and the Arco della Pace, the Arch of Peace – where the Olympic flame was also located. Of course, on every “well-known” street corner, in every subway, you could tell that things are definitely different. The large Olympic store was right on the cathedral square, there was a nice light installation under the dome in the gallery and there were also a few “hints” about the games around the cathedral. The many fans who proudly presented the colors of their countries of origin also played their part. For example, when we enjoyed a drink near the Peace Arch at a pleasant 19 degrees, we were surrounded by Dutch people. No wonder, as speed skating competitions also increased in Milan. And there this nation is absolutely world class. Otherwise: you simply noticed that there were many different competition cities, which were also quite far apart from each other. The real “Olympic feeling” didn’t necessarily arise.

In terms of price, the short trip was surprisingly affordable: since we booked our accommodation very early, we were able to avoid the enormous costs. We paid less than €800 for a spacious apartment where each of the four of us had our own place to sleep (for a total of two nights). From the Ugovizza toll station to Milan it is exactly €40 each way and for fuel it is around €140. The evening before the semi-finals we enjoyed pizza and tiramisu – the bill of just under €110 didn’t scare any of us. Oh yes: ZSC Lions defender Mikko Lehtonen was sitting at the next table, no stranger. In the Santa Giulio ice arena the beer cost €7 – not cheap, but okay.

Looking back: the trip to Milan was absolutely worth every cent. Hassle-free arrival, great accommodation, very good infrastructure in Milan and around the Santa Giulia Ice Arena and two semi-finals that will probably disappear from memory.