Lighter-colored boards replace dark ones in the hockey arenas at the Olympics
Italy's Damian Clara makes a save during a men's ice hockey qualification playoff game between Switzerland and Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. Credit: AP/Petr David Josek
MILAN — The hockey arenas at the Milan Cortina Olympics got a new look as the knockout round of the men’s tournament got underway Tuesday.
The boards encasing the rinks are now light blue and green after the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association made the case to the International Olympic Committee to make a change from the dark color during the preliminary round.
Players talked to the league and union about the boards after each team’s first practice in Milan.
U.S. goaltender Jeremy Swayman lost sight of the puck in the boards and the stands during his one round-robin game in net against Denmark. Swayman joked he was color-blind, so it didn't matter to him.
“It was a flash screen and it was just the perfect height right between the stands and board level, and I truly lost it,” Swayman said after the 6-3 win. “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.”
