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

With NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier said in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new contemporary stadium.

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

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

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

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