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Forget about thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in more than a ten years, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, restrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.