Zimní stadion Kopřivnice

The old wooden stands loom behind the boards, a reminder of the 1967 opening when this rink was built. With artificial ice underfoot , the surface does not thaw even in the warmer months. The club HC ISMM Kopřivnice calls this place home, a team that has worn many names but kept its kit colours. In the photographs, the players wear jerseys. The referee in the striped black-and-white shirt watches closely, his eyes fixed on the puck as a player skates past him.

Three thousand and thirty-four seats line the perimeter, though the crowd rarely fills them. The capacity is a figure in a ledger, not a feeling in the arena. On cold nights, the wind does not reach here; the roof holds it back. The lights hum overhead, casting a steady glow on the white ice. A player in the second photograph leans forward, his breath visible in the chill air. The third image captures motion, a stick blade flicking at the puck while the background blurs into advertisement boards. Their logos faded but still legible.

The 2. Liga brought a record crowd once, in 2014, but that moment has passed. The rink remains unchanged: 60 by 28 meters, a rectangle of ice in a small town. The wooden bleachers show their age, the paint chipped in places.