Sunday 15 January 2012

HC Vodni Lvi Benesov; Czech Republic

HC Vodni Lvi Benesov are a Czech ice hockey side, currently playing in the regional third level of Czech ice hockey. I haven't seen a game here, I just happened to be passing through the town, & saw signs pointing to the rink, so I walked there, & took some snaps.



Approaching the rink.



It looks fairly modern.



Zimni means 'winter' accroding to the translation, so I presume it means 'station for winter sports', if lost in a Czech town & looking for the hockey, just look for 'zimni stadion' on the local maps or signs.



A poster from a forthcoming game, Kobra are a hockey team from Prague.



The entrance outside, this is one of the ends behind the goal.



A ticket booth.



Having found a side entrance to get inside, this photo is behind the goal, as if we had walked in through the main entrance we had just seen, above. There is not seating up at this end.



A bank of seats down the right hand side.



With the same to the left.



We are heading leftward, clockwise round the rink.



From the first corner we see over the ice.



Directly over the centre of the pad.



Moving along we see the far end, no seating there either, but some sort of restaurant/bar area.



There appears to be a walkway at the top.



Turning round, the benches on the side we've covered.



Now behind the goal, this is the section above the glassed area, this photo was taken through a locked gate, so I couldn't actually get into this area.



Down at the ice level, we are at the next corner, turning to the final side.




The area between the seats & the ice, at the front, leading up to the benches.



The seats above.



Another corner shot, showing the rink from the opposite angle of the previous one.



Halfway along this side there is an outdoor balcony, presumably for smokers, nowadays, on matchdays?



A 'panorama' of the town, from the balcony!



Moving onward, we can see the tannoy box at the back of this side.



Almost at the end now, the glassed end where we began, in front of us.



From up in the seats we can see how far above the entrance concourse is above the ice.



Almost done, turned back ,we walk along the front of the seats we were just in, where the benches are.



In the centre, looking above the players tunnel.



Zamboni parked up.



Another bench. And time to leave.