MILAN, Feb 17 : Players and fans can expect a different look at the rink when the men’s Olympic ice hockey playoffs begin on Tuesday, with lighter colour boards being put in place after feedback from players.
While organisers had always planned to replace the boards before the men’s playoffs, a decision was reached to print them in a lighter shade of green than the existing dark turquoise boards that line Santagiulia and Milano Rho arenas, following feedback from players, a spokesperson from the International Ice Hockey Federation told Reuters.
The IIHF decided on the bright green, which already appears in splotches around the official Olympic art, after consulting with the IOC and Milano Cortina organisers.
Some perplexing goaltending during the United States’ 6-3 win over Denmark on Saturday, during which the Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman appeared to have difficulty seeing the puck, brought the issue into the fore among fans.
Swayman insisted the dark colour of the boards was not to blame, telling reporters he was colourblind.
“We play in different arenas in the NHL every night, so this is just another one, and a challenge that we have to embrace,” he said.
The IIHF said that boards are routinely replaced during long tournaments like the Olympics due to wear-and-tear.
