Four years ago, I became an NHL fan, and since then, I had only managed to attend one live hockey game: the Global Series in Stockholm in 2023. There, I finally saw my team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and experienced hockey in person for the first time. Ever since, I’d been eager to repeat the experience, and I certainly didn’t expect my next game to be in Italy, at the Olympics.
This ‘miracle’ came about because my partner recently joined me on this journey, becoming an ardent fan of hockey and the NHL. One early morning, the Olympic idea surfaced, and without overthinking it, we booked our tickets. Months later, we found ourselves in Milan, on the verge of witnessing the world’s best players and many of our personal favorites.
We arrived in the city on Saturday, February 14th, and spent the afternoon strolling around the city center, soaking in the omnipresent Olympic atmosphere. At the airport and metro station, we were greeted by the Olympic rings and numerous posters and screens promoting the games. It wasn’t long before we started spotting hockey fans in jerseys. One of my favorite aspects of the entire experience was seeing people from across Europe, proudly wearing jerseys of their favorite players and teams. The variety was immense: many NHL jerseys, particularly Canadian teams, national team jerseys, and even local team jerseys I’d never seen before, with names I couldn’t even pronounce.
We visited Milan’s Olympic Fan Village, an area featuring activities related to various Olympic sports at sponsor booths. It also boasted a stage and a large screen broadcasting live events. We even had the chance to take a photo with inflatable Milo and Tina, the beloved Olympic mascots. Afterward, we headed to the official mega-store in Duomo Square, which offered a vast array of exclusive merchandise, primarily clothing. Disappointingly, there were no hockey jerseys there. We only found a few remaining ones on the ground floor of the Nike store in central Milan by the time we arrived.
Before returning to our hotel, while walking down the street, we spotted a familiar face in the distance. We’re quite sure it was Rickard Rakell, the Swedish player for the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, we didn’t approach him, allowing him to enjoy his evening stroll undisturbed.
Sunday the 15th arrived, a day dedicated to games. We held tickets for two preliminary round matches: Canada vs. France at 4:40 PM, and USA vs. Germany at 9:10 PM. Around 2 PM, we set off for the Santa Giulia Hockey Arena (which, contrary to widespread doubt, was indeed completed on time). We managed to catch one of the free shuttle buses that frequently departed from Rogoredo station directly to the stadium. There, we endured a significant wait in line under the sun (thankfully, it was February) before finally gaining entry.
We quickly located our seats, which were incredibly close to the ice, in row six, and to our surprise, directly behind Canada’s goal. We were right by the tunnel from which the Canadian team was about to emerge for warm-ups. It’s hard to describe the thrill of watching them skate onto the ice. Crosby, McDavid, Celebrini, Makar, MacKinnon, Marner, Jarvis… your eyes darted everywhere, unable to focus on just one player. It was awe-inspiring to see these sports stars up close, especially their captain, Sidney Crosby. We were incredibly fortunate to witness him play (and score) before his unfortunate injury in the quarterfinals a few days later.
It’s hard to describe the excitement of watching them step onto the ice. Crosby, McDavid, Celebrini, Makar, MacKinnon, Marner, Jarvis… your eyes darted everywhere, unable to focus on just one player.
The game was incredibly entertaining. Despite the deluge of goals from the Maple Leaf team (which, by the end, we and even the Canadian players felt a little bad celebrating), there were many enjoyable moments, and the French team never lost morale. A highlight was Macklin Celebrini’s penalty shot, which we later learned was a historic first penalty goal by an NHL player in the Olympics. We also saw goals from other stars, including McDavid. However, the biggest surprise of the match was the fight between Tom Wilson (who scored the opening goal) and Pierre Crinon, an unexpected exchange of punches on Olympic ice. We couldn’t believe it; the crowd went wild (and rightly so), though considering the Washington Capitals forward’s history, it wasn’t entirely a shock. The final score was 10-2.
After the excitement subsided, the game concluded. We savored our last glimpse of the Canadian players and then headed outside, where a designated area allowed spectators with tickets for the next match to wait within the venue.
As soon as we re-entered, we quickly made our way to the section where we had watched the previous game, as we wanted to see the USA’s warm-up closely. To our surprise, when we tried to re-enter the section we had just been in, we were asked to show our tickets and seat numbers. The same happened when we tried another entrance near the USA tunnel. This struck us as odd, as for the previous game, our tickets weren’t checked again once we were inside the arena. We eventually gained entry through a section entrance in the German zone, where nobody asked to see our seats, and from there, we positioned ourselves behind the Stars and Stripes’ bench to observe the warm-up up close. We hypothesized that perhaps the American organization had requested extra security, or something similar.
The resounding boos that echoed through the stadium when the American team first stepped onto the ice also didn’t go unnoticed. The German fans significantly outnumbered and out-cheered the American supporters at that moment (and for most of the game).
This time, our seats were almost at the very top; it wasn’t the same as being rinkside, but we could see the game perfectly. It’s true that we had expected a bit more challenge from the German national team, and they only managed to score one goal in the final minutes, courtesy of Ottawa Senators player Tim Stützle. We were left wanting more action from Leon Draisaitl, the team captain and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers, who faced off against his arch-rival, Matthew Tkachuk, forward for the Florida Panthers. On the other hand, Auston Matthews scored two goals for the USA, which, as a Leafs fan, was fantastic to witness (especially considering this isn’t his best season). Personally, we were rooting for Germany in this match, so we left the arena a little downhearted by the 5-1 result in favor of the USA, but still very happy to have experienced it in person.
Being able to experience the Olympic atmosphere at a hockey game has been a unique and deeply satisfying experience. I’m unsure if NHL players will be allowed to participate in national teams for the next Olympics, but regardless, I would love to repeat this experience in the French Alps in 2030, especially since it will once again be relatively close to home.
