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

As NHL athletes gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in over a decade, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

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

This situation creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the main arena 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 beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The event that was intended 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 Fair hockey location, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the games.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest 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, high-priced passes are already being purchased for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Tickets for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the closing day of the Olympics – 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. Only tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

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 first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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