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

With NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

This situation raises the prospect that there may not be a game held in the primary venue 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 start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The event that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.