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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 main hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is cutting it close.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the main test event for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been moved to a smaller venue – and that no new test event has been arranged yet.

The issue creates the possibility that there may not be a match held in the primary venue until the puck is dropped for the women’s preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

“The timeline will be very close to the start of the Olympics, the schedule is highly compressed. However, we were aware,” Milano Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia ice was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey venue, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will host lesser games during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to holding podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the playing surface and making sure that the playing surface is ready and secure. It’s also about checking food outlets, bathrooms 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 Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential future host of the ATP Finals tennis tournament.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men's championship final 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 athletic competition at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey organization allowing its players to compete in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to take place from 11-22 February. Women's tournament runs from 5-19 February.