Olympic Hockey Boards Change to Lighter Color After Feedback

Beginning Feb. 17, the hockey boards at Milano’s Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena will be changed to a lighter color for the remainder of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.

This latest development was first confirmed via ESPN's Emily Kaplan, who was informed by an IIHF spokesperson. In a joint decision between the IIHF, IOC and Milan Cortina organizing committee, it will change the color to something of a lighter shade after having received feedback from teams and federations. The new banners are expected to be pasted on in time for the men’s hockey qualification round — Team France is to play Team Germany at 6:10 a.m. EST.

It appears players have expressed that the deep turquoise color of the boards at the arena is much darker than what they are normally used to seeing in professional hockey arenas, such as the NHL and PWHL.

Feb 16, 2026; Milan, Italy; Lena Lutz (71) of Switzerland skates with the puck during the second period against Canada in a women's ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Arena staff began removing the current banners immediately following Monday night’s women’s hockey semifinal between Team Canada and Switzerland.

Team USA Goaltender Prompts Board Change in 2026 Winter Olympics

Others have pointed out that the darker green color specifically in different areas of the boards could be problematic for sight when it comes to finding a black puck.

News: The boards at Santagiulia Arena will be changed to a lighter color beginning on Tuesday, an IIHF spokesperson told ESPN.

The IIHF typically refreshes boards during tournaments but color change comes after player feedback so far in these Olympics. https://t.co/UC9TTTQW2z
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) February 16, 2026

Team USA goaltender Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins said he could not see a puck coming at him fired from near the Denmark bench during the Feb. 14 game.

“It’s something all of us always have to face and we play in different arenas every night in the NHL, so this is just one, another one, and it’s a challenge that we have to embrace,” Swayman said according to The Athletic while also joking that he was colorblind, so it is not too big of a personal issue for the netminder.

Santagiulia Arena was built specifically for the 2026 Olympics, and it will host the medal games of the men's and women's hockey tournaments. The men's tournament begins its quarterfinal round on Feb. 17.

U.S. forward Jack Eichel also said getting used to playing in a new setting is something for all players to get used to.

"Nine times out of 10, or 99 times out of 100, he's going to have that," Eichel said per Kaplan. "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."

Previous issues surrounding the Santagiulia Arena included the IIHF approved a 196.85-foot by 85.3-foot sheet of ice in Milan, which is more than three feet shorter than the NHL's standard 200-foot by 85-foot dimensions.

Other games have been held at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena.

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