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Forget about poor conditions. For now, there’s no ice.

With NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, building work 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-seat Santagiulia facility that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a more compact venue – and that no additional trial has been arranged yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there may not be a game 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 opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the start of the games, the timeline is very tight. But we knew that,” Milan-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 moved to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Usually, freshly built Olympic facilities are tested at least the prior year to holding medal events. And with a large hockey venue, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s also about testing concession stands, restrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern arena.

This new facility, which is being built by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible future host of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

In spite of the delays and concerns, high-priced passes are already being purchased for events at the Santagiulia arena. 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). This exceeds for any other sports event at the Milan-Cortina Games. Solely passes for the opening and closing ceremonies cost more.

The return of NHL players at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the premier hockey league allowing its athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

The men’s Olympic hockey competition is scheduled to run from 11-22 February. Women's tournament occurs from 5-19 February.