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

With NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

This situation raises the prospect that there might not be a game 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.

“The timeline will be very close to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was supposed to evaluate the Santagiulia ice was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Typically, freshly built Olympic facilities are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become Italy’s biggest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship 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 the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey league allowing its athletes to compete in the Winter Games 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.