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Forget about poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

As NHL players gearing up to make a comeback to the Olympics for the initial occasion in over a ten years, building work on the primary hockey arena for the Milano Cortina Games is going down to the wire.

Local organizers confirmed on Wednesday that the primary trial competition for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia facility originally planned for December has been moved to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial 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 preliminary round at the Olympics on 5 February – one day before the opening ceremony.

“It’s going to be extremely tight to the beginning of the games, the schedule is very tight. But we knew that,” Milano Cortina organizing body CEO Andrea Varnier stated in a recent update.

The event that was intended to evaluate the Santagiulia playing surface was a segment of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. This tournament has been transferred to the Rho Fair hockey venue, which is being established inside a massive convention center on Milan’s outskirts and will stage secondary matches during the Olympics.

Typically, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the year before to hosting podium competitions. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not just about the ice and ensuring that the rink is prepared and safe. It’s additionally about checking food outlets, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a brand-new modern stadium.

This new facility, which is being constructed by a commercial firm, is slated to become the nation's largest covered stadium. Following the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a possible upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis event.

Despite the postponements and concerns, expensive tickets are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia arena. Tickets for the men’s gold medal game on 22 February – the final day of the Olympics – are going for as much as €1,400 (over $1,600). This exceeds for any other athletic competition at the Milano Cortina Games. Only tickets for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The comeback of NHL stars at the Olympics was announced in February of last year, with the world’s top hockey league allowing its players to participate 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 tournament occurs from 5-19 February.