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

As NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the first time in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey venue for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers announced on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins 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 Olympics, the schedule is very tight. However, we were aware,” 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 U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a sizable hockey venue, it’s not only about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced last February, with the world’s top hockey league 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 run from 11-22 February. The women’s event occurs from 5-19 February.