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

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the main trial competition for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller venue – 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 puck is dropped for the women's initial games at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the inaugural event.

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

The event that was intended to test the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the U20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been moved to the Rho Fair hockey location, which is being set up inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will host lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are tested at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a sizable hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is ready and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed modern arena.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become Italy’s largest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being considered as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

In spite of the postponements and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. Seats for the men’s gold medal final on 22 February – the final day of the games – are priced at as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events cost more.

The return of NHL players 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.

Men's Olympic hockey tournament is set to run from 11-22 February. The women’s event runs from 5-19 February.