Release from 22.10.2026
Just four months after joining the win2day ICE Hockey League, Milano Hockey Club played its first four home games in the newly built Fiera Ice Arena. On Friday, EC-KAC will visit the Italian metropolis. Club president Christof Leitner, who as an entrepreneur was personally and significantly involved in the construction of Milan’s new ice rink, in an interview.
The first two weekends at the Fiera Ice Arena are now behind us. How special have the home games been for you so far?
Christof Leitner: For me personally, it was an incredibly emotional moment. When you consider that we started practically from scratch just a few months ago and now have a team out on the ice in the win2day ICE Hockey League, it really is something quite extraordinary.
Over the past few months, we’ve invested an incredible amount of energy, hard work and personal commitment into this project. When I then saw the players on the ice and the fans in the stands, it was a moment when you realise what we’ve achieved together. Of course, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. But one thing is certain: ice hockey has returned to Milan.
The Milano Hockey Club was admitted to the league on 1 June at the general meeting. Just four months later, a match was already taking place in the newly built arena. How did this come about, and what were the stages of construction?
Looking back now, it was actually quite a crazy undertaking. Normally, a project like this requires much more lead time. We had to build practically everything at the same time: the sporting organisation, the team, the funding and, of course, the arena. What helped us enormously was the experience we’d gained from the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. We knew how to deliver complex ice-rink projects under enormous time pressure. And we had competent partners such as the Milan Exhibition Centre.
However, it was also crucial that we didn’t spend ages debating, but instead took decisions. We had a clear goal and a team that was prepared to go the extra mile to achieve it. The fact that we were actually able to host our first home match just four months later is a fantastic team effort. In four months, we achieved something that would normally take others one or two years.
You have worked on many projects involving ice rinks. Was the construction of the Fiera Ice Arena something special for you?
Throughout our company’s history (note: that of the family-run business REALICE), we have completed numerous ice rinks and exciting projects. With the Milan–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, we certainly had the opportunity to deliver one of the most challenging projects in our history. But the Fiera Ice Arena is something very special to me personally.
I’m a huge ice hockey fan myself. That’s why, for me, this isn’t just about technology, refrigeration systems or ice quality. It’s about giving a club – and an entire city – a home for ice hockey once again. At the Olympics, we built the stage for records. In Milan, we’re building the stage for the future of ice hockey.
In Milan, an ice hockey community has been brought back to life. How do you rate the support from the fans?
Milan has an extraordinary ice hockey tradition stretching back more than 100 years. You can’t simply forget that history and that passion. We can sense that people are keen on ice hockey again. That’s a huge source of motivation for us. At the same time, we know that things haven’t always been easy in the past and that trust isn’t built overnight.
Our task is therefore not only to build a competitive team, but above all to establish a professional and stable club for the long term. We want families, children and young people to enjoy going to ice hockey matches again and to be proud of their club. This also includes all our youth teams, our Milano HC Prospects, with whom we enjoy an excellent working relationship. Nor are the fans merely spectators. They are an essential part of our identity.
We want not only to honour the history of Milanese ice hockey, but also to shape its future together with our fans. Passion is part and parcel of ice hockey. But there is no place here for violence, intimidation or disrespectful behaviour. We have zero tolerance for such behaviour.
After the first 13 rounds: what do you think the team can achieve in its debut season?
We mustn’t forget that we’ve put together a completely new team and are playing against clubs that have been established in this league for many years. The win2day ICE Hockey League is very demanding from a sporting perspective. Nevertheless, we’ve already shown in the first few matches that we’re competitive. Of course, we want to win every match. Nobody takes to the ice to lose.
But we must remain realistic. Our first aim is to gel as a team, deliver consistently good performances and develop step by step. I’m convinced there’s a lot of potential in this team. But we’re not just thinking about this season. We want to make Milano Hockey Club a permanent fixture in European ice hockey in the long term.