Chris Johnston

in part because of COVID timing that, you know, between when they got the Olympics in 2019 awarded to them, and obviously they didn't get shovels in the ground until spring 2023, that sort of the world had changed and maybe some of the financial picture had changed.

So, you know, it sounds like they really just got going late and haven't been able to get ahead of it and catch up.

And so that seemed to be the main issue.

And then, you know, beyond that, there's just sort of this idea that,

that Italians are pretty laid back and that, you know, they always get it done in the end, but they maybe aren't, you know, as get up and go as some other countries.

I mean, I can't speak to that myself specifically, but I definitely heard that.

I mean, that sentiment was in the air a lot that maybe they just do things on their own schedule here.

And so right now they're doing a lot of work to get it done.

I'm pretty optimistic.

Yeah.

I mean, they just got that ice like last weekend was the first games ever played on it.

Naturally, when you're making ice, there's kind of a process to that, you know, but they have the guy Don Moffitt that's making the ice there makes the ice for the Colorado Avalanche.

So, I mean, they've got a lot of expertise on the ground and,

You know, if you just take the arena ball and ignore the scoreboard small and all that stuff, it looks like a hockey rink.

They have everything they need there.

I mean, it might be a little different if you're a fan at those games.

It doesn't seem like there'll be as many kind of amenities around the rink, we'll call it.

But let's face it, most people experience this tournament through TV.

And so I think the games themselves will happen, noodles and end.

Most of us back home will be almost none the wiser once it actually gets going and we're just focused on who's winning, who's losing, all the things that are happening.