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Put aside poor conditions. For now, the surface isn't ready.

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

Officials announced on Wednesday that the primary test event for the 16,000-capacity Santagiulia arena that was scheduled for December has been relocated to a smaller arena – and that no additional trial has been scheduled yet.

The issue raises the prospect that there might not be a match held in the primary venue until the competition begins 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 very tight. However, we were aware,” Milan-Cortina local organizing committee CEO Andrea Varnier said recently.

The competition that was supposed to test the Santagiulia playing surface was part of the under-20 world championship from 8-14 December. That event has been transferred to the Rho Fiera hockey location, which is being established inside a giant convention center on the outskirts of Milan and will stage lesser games during the Olympics.

Usually, new Olympic venues are trialled at least the prior year to hosting medal events. And with a large hockey arena, it’s not only about the playing surface and ensuring that the playing surface is prepared and secure. It’s additionally about testing concession stands, bathrooms and all other amenities inside a newly constructed contemporary arena.

The Santagiulia venue, which is being constructed by a private company, is scheduled to become the nation's biggest indoor arena. For after the Olympics, it’s being eyed as a potential upcoming venue of the ATP Tour Finals tennis tournament.

Despite the postponements and concerns, high-priced passes are already being sold for matches at the Santagiulia venue. 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 (more than $1,600). That’s more than the price of any other sports event at the Milano Cortina Games. Only passes for the inaugural and final events are priced higher.

The return of NHL stars at the Olympics was revealed last February, with the world’s top hockey organization permitting its players to participate in the Winter Games for the initial occasion since 2014 in Sochi.

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