Khimik Ice Palace named after N.S. Epstein

Large Cyrillic letters spelling «СИБИРЬ» are fixed above the roofline, a reminder of the club’s recent time in the Kontinental Hockey League rather than its current status in the **VHL**.

The arena itself is a working-class venue that has outlived its original ambitions. Opened in 1966, the building was conceived as a monument to the local chemical combine, but the sport it hosts has always been secondary to the wind and rain that sweep across the Moscow Oblast. The capacity has tightened over the decades, settling at 3,229 seats after standing terraces were removed. The architects prioritized function over form; the interior is a box of concrete and steel where the noise of the game bounces off the hard walls.

There is a sense of endurance here that is not often found in newer facilities. The club has moved between leagues, losing its KHL status and returning to the lower tiers, yet the ground remains open. A second rink was added in 2016, and the boards were replaced recently, but the skeleton of the building is the same one that watched Lyudmila Belousova train. The attendance for recent games hovers around 2,400, suggesting the community still turns out, even if the stadium never fills completely. The planned replacement in the Novlyansky microdistrict seems distant, leaving the current structure to hold its own for a few more years.