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

As NHL players preparing to return to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a more compact venue – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

This situation creates the possibility 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 inaugural event.

“It’s going to be very close to the beginning 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 supposed 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 massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and making sure that the rink is ready and secure. It’s additionally about testing food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become Italy’s largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and concerns, expensive passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the premier hockey league permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's event runs from 5-19 February.