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

As NHL athletes gearing up to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in more than a decade, construction on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced 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 arena – and that no new test event has been arranged 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 – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a giant exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the games.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms 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 Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the closing day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

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

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