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Forget about thin ice. Currently, 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 going down to the wire.

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

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a game held in the main arena until the puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – 24 hours before the inaugural event.

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

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

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to holding medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the playing surface is ready and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and everything else inside a brand-new modern stadium.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being built by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. Following the Olympics, it’s being considered as a potential future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the delays and worries, high-priced tickets are already being sold for events 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 for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Solely passes for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the premier hockey organization allowing its players to compete in the Winter Games for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

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