I Went to Milano Cortina Olympics & Here’s What Happened 

By Cat Kowalski

Edited by Aishah Bashir

Growing up first in Pittsburgh and later in New England, hockey has always been a big part of the culture around me. It has also always been the one sport that’s really captured my attention. The fast-paced skating, intense gameplay, and frequent fighting add to the excitement of it. The friends I went with feel the same way about the sport. We were all super excited for this once-in-a-lifetime event: Women’s Ice Hockey. 

Journey to the Game

The ticket purchase was the easiest part. We did it all online, sending our money to one friend and having her purchase it all. When we got to the arena, all the verification was digital too, so it was very simple. It had been the cheapest game we could find, the tickets costing €100 per person.

To get to Milan, we took the train. Starting at Santa Maria Novella station, we missed our first train by moments, but were lucky to get one thirty minutes later to meet our connection in Bologna. Once we boarded, the train was packed with people traveling to Milan to see the games. We got off in the city center and took a series of Ubers to get to the arena. It was intensely stressful with complications about where to go, where to put our stuff, and numerous police blockades, especially after our morning train mix-up. There was no bigger relief than finally getting to the stadium. Overall, it was about €100 in total for transportation to get to our final destination.

My advice is that if you’re traveling to another city for a huge event, get there early! Arriving when we did (just 20 minutes prior), so close to the game, added so much unnecessary stress to our journey. Every moment felt frantic; we were so convinced we would never make it. In the end, we were fine, but definitely plan to be EARLY.

The Czech Republic was up against Switzerland. Our seats were in section B, about ten short rows away from the rink— much closer than we’d imagined we’d get. The game was exhilarating. We were on the edge of our seats the entire time, especially being in such close proximity to it all. There were multiple times when a fight would break out, or the puck would get stuck in the corner right near where we were sitting. We were so invested in the outcome every time. I don’t think we’ve ever all been so quiet around each other.

The majority of the game was spent with the Czech Republic in the lead by 1-2 points. They were also the team with the most penalties, repeatedly breaking into fights, and at one point, one of their players was given a 5-minute timeout. It wasn’t until the final ten minutes that Switzerland tied it up with a goal. This sent them into overtime — and when time ran out with the score still level, into a shootout.

What’s a shootout you ask? Well, in a shootout, each team takes turns with one player at a time, trying to score into the other team’s net. It usually only goes up to four turns each, but this one went to eight. With the final goal, it was an unexpected win for the Swiss. By the end, the game had gone on for over three hours.

Accommodation & Touring Milan

Navigating the city had been difficult that first day, on top of all the stress of getting to the arena. While trying to make our way to the hotel that night, the taxi we hailed took us to a similarly named address in a completely different part of the city. We were freaked out, convinced we’d lost all hope of ever making it! Thankfully, the driver waited for us and took us to where we actually needed to go.

We stayed overnight at Hotel Pavone, located near the city center, about a 20-minute taxi ride from the stadium. For a triple room, it was €67 each and breakfast was included — something we were very grateful for after all the money that had gone to tickets and transport. The next day, we stuck to public transport, which was much, much cheaper, reliable, and easier to follow. We spent that day exploring Milan. Taking a bus to the city center, we got to see the cathedral and browse some of the more famous stores. The piazza was packed with tourists from all over who had traveled to see the games. We left that evening at 5 pm on another packed train, arriving back in Florence at around 9 pm.

Despite each and every complication along the way, it was, without a doubt, worth it. The thrill of the game, the electric buzz of the crowd, the chaos and magic of being swept up in a city alive with it all, there’s nothing quite like it. A once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one I’d do all over again in a heartbeat.