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Forget about thin ice. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL players preparing to return to the Olympics for the first time in more than a ten years, building work on the main hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect 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 opening ceremony.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host secondary matches during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men's championship final on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its players to participate 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 runs from 5-19 February.