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

With NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena 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 may not be a match held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the games, the schedule 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 U20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about checking concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and concerns, expensive passes are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players 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 initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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