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

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a ten years, construction on the main hockey venue for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there might 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 – 24 hours before the opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and everything else inside a newly constructed contemporary stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and worries, expensive passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – 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. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

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

Men's Olympic hockey competition is set to run from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.