Olympic Hockey Rink Has Surprisingly Small Jumbotron

Fans were unimpressed with the size of the unit.

Jumbotron at Olympic hockey venue drew some attention. | @Bet105 on X

The 2026 Winter Olympics begin next month and there's optimism that Milan's hockey arena will be completed in time to host games. There's been concerns about the size and construction of the venue and with time rapidly ticking away, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly felt compelled to say that the league's players would not be traveling to Italy if the arena was deemed "unsafe."

But those comments were made a month ago and since then much progress has been made. Enough that the rink was able to host some action on Monday, with people in the seats to watch. One thing about setup caught everyone's eye.

The jumbotron/scoreboard hanging over center ice. Some are saying it's more of a tron and not very jumbo.

The Olympic Hockey rink in Milan is finally complete

Instead of installing a jumbotron they opted for an iPad pic.twitter.com/VjRcc8ln2r

— Bet105 (@bet_105) January 13, 2026

Can't please everyone.

Honestly, my first reaction looking at this is that the retro-sized piece gives the place some much-needed charm. And if you're so hard up for a big screen, then stay at home and watch the Games instead of going through the hardship of not getting a great replay of action that happened right in front of your eyes anyway.

On the positive side of the ledger, the atmosphere inside the arena bowl at the Milan Olympic rink was excellent even for the test games. Good sightlines and acoustics: pic.twitter.com/19O9dq3JqL

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) January 12, 2026

More importantly, the test event went well.

"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," read the statement, provided to ESPN. "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, and the IIHF deliver a tournament and playing conditions befitting the world's best players."

Of all the potential problems that could surround the hockey portion of this upcoming Olympic program, inadequate screen size is pretty far down the list.

But it is small and that is funny.

---