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Put aside thin ice. For now, the surface isn't ready.

With NHL athletes gearing up 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 cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena that was scheduled 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 game held in the main arena until the competition begins for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be extremely tight to the beginning of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The competition that was supposed to test 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 Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a giant exhibition hall on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the rink is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is scheduled to become the nation's largest covered stadium. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and concerns, expensive tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men's championship game on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). That’s more than for any other athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its players to participate in the Winter Olympics for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is set to take place from 11-22 February. The women’s tournament occurs from 5-19 February.