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

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may 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 opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host secondary matches during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is scheduled to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.