MILAN —

Hockey, one of the premier events at the Winter Olympics and one that is welcoming NHL players back for the first time in more than a decade, will take place on ice that is shorter than NHL-regulation size.

Men's and women's games at two arenas will be played in rinks that are 60 meters long by 26 meters wide, or 196.85-by-85.3 feet. NHL dimensions are 200 by 85 feet (60.96 by 25.908 meters), so the Olympic ice will be slightly wider and more than 3 feet shorter.

The International Ice Hockey Federation approved the Milan rinks, which fit one of the governing body’s standard sizes and was used by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators for two games in Stockholm in November.

The IIHF shifted to the NHL dimensions at the Olympics beginning in 2018 and used again in 2022.

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