NHL deputy commissioner doubles down on Olympic concerns, says players 'won't go' if ice is deemed unsafe

But speaking at the NHL Board of Governors meeting on Monday, Daly clarified that he didn't believe the construction concerns were "insurmountable." He did, however, note that safety concerns were another story. 

But Daly added, if the players deem the quality of the ice unsafe, "then we're not going to play."

Local organizers told The Associated Press in October that the main test event scheduled in December for the 16,000-seat Santagiulia arena was pushed to a smaller arena and completion of the main arena will come down to the wire. 

The rink itself will also be smaller than a standard NHL rink by more than three feet, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) confirmed Monday.

"While these dimensions differ slightly from a typical NHL rink, they are consistent with IIHF regulations, match the rink size used at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games and are fully consistent with the dimensions the NHL requires as part of its Global Series Game arena specifications," the federation said. "All involved, the IIHF, the Organizing Committee, NHL, NHLPA, IOC and the relevant venue authorities agree that the differences in rink specifications are insignificant, and should not impact either the safety or quality of game play."

The season will be on pause during the Olympics. If the rink doesn't meet the NHL's standards, Daly said Monday that a backup plan was in place. 

"Well, I can't tell you exactly what we do," he said. "What I'd say is, I think in emergency-type situations like that in the past, I think we've responded appropriately, came up with good solutions and I have no doubt that we'll be able to come up with good solutions if we're faced with that."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.