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Put aside thin ice. Currently, there’s no ice.

With NHL players preparing to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, construction on the primary hockey arena for the Milan-Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Officials announced 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 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 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 beginning of the Olympics, the timeline is very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive exhibition hall on Milan’s outskirts and will stage lesser games during the games.

Typically, new Olympic venues are tested at least the prior year to holding podium competitions. 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 concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new contemporary arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a private company, is slated to become Italy’s biggest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the delays and worries, expensive tickets are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia venue. Seats for the men's championship final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (more than $1,600). This exceeds the price of any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

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

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