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

As NHL athletes preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

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

This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

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

The event that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface 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 giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed 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 future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, expensive tickets are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

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

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