DALLAS — The NHL appears set for a compelling, long-overdue return to the Olympics in February.

Except for one important detail: the ice.

It’s been one hot topic for a sport predicated on cold, the ice surface at Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena in Milan, Italy reportedly around 3 feet smaller than normal and questions swirling about whether the playing surface will be finished in time.

Sidney Crosby, the most accomplished international player in the tournament isn’t sweating the details. Then again, the Penguins’ captain would probably play barefoot on cement if that’s what it took to return to the Olympic stage.

“I’m aware of it, but it’s one of those things, it’s out of your control,” Crosby said after the Penguins practiced Saturday at StarCenter-Farmers Branch just outside of Dallas.

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