Milan is back on the ice – and there to stay

Saima, Vipers, Bears, Devils. The identities of ice hockey in Milan have been many and ever-changing. Names of sponsors, names reminiscent of American franchises. The same team that was born, died and rose again several times. There was even a derby: Saima versus the Devils, Cabassi versus Berlusconi – entrepreneurs vying for city leadership with pucks and sticks. But there have also been leaner times, such as from 2022 to the present day. Or rather, until last April, when the Milano Hockey Club was officially reborn. A simple name, just enough to emphasise its historical roots, as do the official colours of red and blue.

“Milan deserves the perfect setting. It’s a sexy city; the players and their families want to come here,” Christof Leitner, president of the new club leading the consortium of investors that has revived a team and a fanbase left without ice hockey, tells Il Foglio Sportivo. “In January, I’d been to Milan for the test events at the Arena Santa Giulia and’d seen thousands of fans demonstrating for a team that didn’t exist. I told Andrea Gios (president of the Ice Sports Federation, ed.), Giuseppe Sala and Attilio Fontana that they’d be fools if they didn’t manage to build anything. There was a real appetite for ice sports.” The enthusiasm sparked by the Olympics and a few matches led to 19 February, when the construction of an ice sports facility at the Rho Exhibition Centre was announced. “That’s when I was told they would need me.”

Relying on a South Tyrolean entrepreneur, the managing director of a company specialising in ice-rink technology and winter equipment, was bound to be a good idea. “We set about looking for partners straight away. We found many American and Canadian entrepreneurs. On 1 June, we were admitted to the ICE Hockey League, a professional league suited to the standard we want to bring to Milan.” An international league featuring teams from Hungary, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. Bolzano and Brunico are also taking part. Within a few months, a club, a coaching staff and a team were put together – a team capable of winning five of their first six matches, including the head-to-head clash for top spot in Klagenfurt. All away from home.

The first home game will be the ninth, on Friday 9 October, when the Ice Fiera Milano opens its doors for the first time. This represents an investment of seven million euros, funded by Fondazione Fiera Milano. It is the legacy of the Olympic Games, which would otherwise have faded away along with the flame. “It will become a national centre, not just our own rink,” explains Leitner, “it will be open to the public with the aim of getting young people onto the ice. There is a desire to build something wonderful.” Ice hockey, but also figure skating, curling and short track. Matches featuring the Hockey Club Milano, as well as women’s and youth teams. “The most important thing we’ve done so far has been the agreement with the Devils (a club active in the Milan area at youth level, ed.). They’re now called the Milano Hockey Club Prospects. I want to build something that will last in the medium to long term, and without a youth academy that’s impossible. Rather than winning the league straight away, I’d prefer to see, in a few years’ time, a team with two or three players born in Milan.”

The closure in 2023 of the Agorà, the last ice rink remaining in the city, threatened to create a generational divide. Developing young Milanese ice hockey players has been challenging, as local clubs have had to transport their athletes to Como, Varese or Madesimo (Sondrio). From this month, however, they will be able to train in a marquee covering around 5,000 square metres, with 4,000 seats, eight changing rooms for athletes and a pre-match warm-up area. For now. The Ice Fiera Arena has been set up as a temporary facility, whilst we await the construction of a permanent venue. “Together with Giovanni Bozzetti (chairman of Fondazione Fiera, ed.), we have concrete ideas and are in talks with various stakeholders. We need a permanent home, and I’d like to involve local entrepreneurs from Lombardy,” says Leitner, with vision and patience.

“My plan looks ahead to the next five years to lay the right foundations. The club must function regardless of who the financial backers are. It has often happened in Milan that clubs have disappeared once the patron of the moment has moved on.” The latest bankruptcy in 2022 did not stop the Rossoblù supporters from celebrating the club’s centenary two years later. Many looked to the Olympic Games with hope, whilst others were sceptical, believing that the temporary facilities – or those subsequently converted for other uses – would be nothing more than a pointless showcase for reviving the movement.

Now, however, there is a team that paraded along a festive Darsena a few weeks ago to introduce itself. In a few days’ time, there will also be a place to cheer them on and enjoy a derby, on Sunday the 11th against Bolzano. And then there is the most important thing, the chairman assures us: “We may not have the perfect home ground, but our hearts are in the right place.”