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

As NHL athletes preparing to return to the Olympic Games for the initial occasion in more than a decade, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a more compact arena – and that no new test event has been scheduled yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the schedule is highly compressed. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not just about the ice and making sure that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about checking food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the delays and worries, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its athletes to compete in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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