Brady Tkachuk Not Worried About Olympic Venue

Despite concerns about the readiness and quality of the main Olympic ice hockey venue, especially the quality of the ice, U.S. star Brady Tkachuk said he isn’t worried.

Speaking on a conference call during the USOPC’s announcement of the 232-member Team USA Olympic contingent, Tkachuck said, “That’s stuff none of us can control. I’m not worried about it. All that stuff works itself out. Whether the ice is good or not doesn’t really matter.”

Less than two months ago, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said after a Board of Governors meeting, “If the players believe the ice isn’t safe, then we’re not going to play. It’s as simple as that.”

Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena — a 16,000-seat venue outside of Milan — will serve as the main hockey arena for the Games. It is scheduled to be finished being built on February 2, just three days before the women’s competition begins and nine days before the men’s tournament gets underway. It hosted its first test event two weeks ago, several months later than would typically be the case, and officials said the ice held up well after three games in a single day, which will mimic the Olympic schedule.

Tkachuk, a star winger for the Ottawa Senators, is the younger brother of Florida Panthers star and fellow U.S. Olympic team member Matthew Tkachuk. This is the first time NHL players will take part in the Winter Olympics since 2012, and the U.S. is considered one of the favorites to win gold in this event for the first time since the Miracle on Ice team of 1980.

“Go out and win the gold medal, that’s the only thing in my mind and my teammates’s mindset,” said Brady Tkachuk. “All that stuff (about the venue) figures itself out. Probably talking too much about it, creating doubt where it usually works out.”

The rinks are also slightly smaller than regulation NHL rinks, which go 200-feet-by-85-feet.

Team USA Full Squad Announced

The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee has formally announced the full slate of athletes that will represent Team USA, which will be a 232-member delegation, including nearly even split of 117 men and 115 women. It will be the largest team the U.S. has ever sent to an Olympic Winter Games..

The Tkachuks are one of four sets of siblings who will represent Team USA in Milan-Cortina. There are 98 returning Olympians, including skier Lindsey Vonn, making her first appearance in the Games since 2018 and her fifth overall. Two-time skiing gold medalist Mikaela Shiffrin and speed skater Erin Jackson joined Tkachuk and Rocky Harris, USOPC chief of sport and athlete services, on the conference call.

The United States finished third in the medal count four years ago in Beijing, winning nine golds and 25 medals overall.

“We have a lot of confidence in the 2026 team because our winter sport programs have made significant progress over the quad,” said Harris. “We made an intentional effort to focus on winter sports.”