MILAN, Italy — For Don Moffatt, all he can worry about is what’s in his control. As the 2026 Winter Olympics Chief Ice Maker–also sometimes referred to as the “Ice Master”–Moffatt has only concerned himself with making the ice hockey playing surface world-class.
“This is my fifth Olympics. It's been by far the hardest, but I've done a lot of special events for the National Hockey League and different world championships, and figure skating events, and different events. And over the course of the years, I've really learned to not really worry about what I can't control,” said Moffatt from his apartment in Milan. He had to temporarily move to Italy for the duration of his Olympics work. “I'm 100% confident in the field of play.”
The Canadian-born Moffatt lives in Colorado Springs – home of USA Hockey and the Olympic Training Center–and has worked in ice hockey creation for decades.
There will be two arenas for ice hockey in the upcoming Olympic Games, but the main site, the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, has been under intense scrutiny as construction crews rush to complete their work ahead of the first game in less than three weeks.
The Santagiulia first opened its doors last weekend to the public for a test event with Italy’s top hockey teams taking the ice.
According to reporting from NBC, the arena, which will have a capacity of 15,300 spectators, received 4,000 fans during the test days.
There is extra attention on the venue as elite players from the North American NHL are due to compete at the Olympics for the first time since 2014, with tickets for the men’s gold medal game at Santagiulia costing up to $1,630, NBC said.
Furthermore, the Olympic venue drew additional outside criticism when it was revealed it’s three feet shorter than a typical NHL rink, but the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) has stated players don’t expect it to have a pronounced impact on their play.
After last weekend's test event, the NHL and NHLPA issued a joint statement in support of the ability to compete on schedule inside the arena.
“While challenges are inherent with new ice and a still-under-construction venue, we expect that the work necessary to address all remaining issues will continue around the clock,” they said in a statement sent to the AP. “The NHL and NHLPA will continue to monitor the situation, standing ready to consult and advise on the work being done to ensure that the local organizing committee, the IOC [International Olympic Committee], and the IIHF [International Ice Hockey Federation] deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world’s best players.”
Moffatt said he knows the ice is the center point and called the process a “huge challenge” with the construction crews. Following the test event last weekend, Moffatt said he ceded the venue to the workers in the hopes they can finish as much as they could.
“I basically gave everybody free reign this week with the threat of they better get their work done this week over top of the ice surface, because starting on Monday, I'll be preparing the sheet for the Olympics,” he said. “I was in yesterday and it's just an absolute free-for-all. It's just, there's just mud everywhere. It's been raining here, and it's a construction site.”
Moffatt also attributed a difference in culture between Canadian and American workers compared to their European and Italian counterparts.
Whereas construction crews in North America might work fast-paced, around the clock to finish a project in a crunch like this, he said the Italian workers are more focused on their work-life balance.
“A priority here is stopping for lunch, not working on Sundays, and spending time with family. It's definitely more family-oriented here in Italy, and no matter how hard you try, you're just not going to push them like you could push American or Canadian workers,” he said.
“North American workers, you tell them they have to work 20 hours a day to finish a building. Yeah, they'll do it if you pay them. Here, it's not happening. It's just not happening. They're going to work their butts off for their eight or nine hours a day, but then they're done,” said Moffatt.
Once the Santagiulia is fully complete and the Olympics are finished, it’s set to transition into a concert venue.
Moffatt said he’d love to come back in the summertime to see a performance, calling it “one of the most amazing concert venues you’ve ever seen.” He said the exterior is also quite a sight to see, and fans will enjoy it.
Meantime, Moffatt is gearing up to fully focus on his ice-making prowess from Monday through the end of the Paralympics.
- Hear From Don Moffatt on What This Winter Games Experience Has Been Like In the Video Player Below
“I don't know that things will be completely finished cosmetically, but the showers will work, the locker rooms are gonna be there, there's rubber on the floor, so they can get to the rink,” said Moffatt. “And, you know, I'm kind of biased, but the best part of the whole building is going to be the ice sheet.”
The women's tournament is scheduled to begin Feb. 5, and the men's tournament is set for Feb. 11.
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