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Put aside thin ice. Currently, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

This situation creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

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

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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