IIHF World Championship
I really dislike Ostrava but it's a fairly big city, especially in terms of Czech Republic, so lots of things are happening there. Naturally, Ostrava hosted IIHF World Hockey Championship group along with Prague. And you can't beat the location, it's essentially a home venue for both Poland and Slovakia. And luckily, Sweden was also in the Ostrava group. Of course I could not miss the opportunity of watching Tre Kronor so close to my home. I had no plans of staying overnight so I chose an early Saturday gave versus Latvia. I was also excited to see the famous Latvian fans. And when the squads were finally announced, I was over the moon. So many cool players came to play for Sweden.
A smooth 2h bus ride from Krakow and I'm in Ostrava. Had some Swedish fans coming on the same bus but overall I did not expect too many Swedes attending the game. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is now to pay the transport fare in Ostrava, a simple tap of your card inside a tram, and you're good to go.
Ostravar Arena is situated right next to the stadium where Banik Ostrava play their games now. I was actually quite early for the game, even before the official opening of the fan zone around the arena. The arena seemed quite interesting and unique and I was really curious how it should look inside. It was pretty clear that Latvians will greatly outnumber any fans from Sweden but the majority of fans were simply local Czechs and Slovaks who most probably had to buy a day package ticket just to see their team late game on the same day.
Soon enough I entered the Fan Zone. Expectedly, things were way overpriced inside. The only beer was Pilsner Urquell that I do not like, besides, it was still early to drink it. That certainly did not stop the spectators who came to see the game. I headed to the merch shop to see the offering. I thought of buying something as a fan of Sweden, but I was simply stunned with how atrocious the quality was. All the merch was cheaply made but it certainly was not cheap. I went on to buy a small championship pin with a Swedish flag and a puck mascot on it. When I opened it later that day, it turned out to be cheap plastic rather than a metal pin that it looked like.
Went inside with about an hour before the puck drop when it was still empty. The arena is really compact and can accommodate slightly under ten thousand fans. It has two large stands on opposite sides but there are also seats in the corners and behind the goal. My seat was in the corner section but it turned out way closer than I thought. And as I initially wanted, I was able to stand close to the glass for the Swedish warm-up skate. It was really cool to see Hedman, Karlsson, Brodin and many other stars so close. There was a security person who did not allow anyone standing behind the line and closer to the glass. At one point, a puck landed behind the glass and landed right in the line behind security that he did not allow crossing. It was right in front of me but I was slow to understand that I could grab it and somebody took it right from under my nose.
Went back to my seat where I spent the rest of the game. The result made it seem an easy win, but it was not. 2 quick goals from Dahlin and Brodin really calmed down the team so, that when Latvia started to press, Swedes were simply pushed and conceded 2 goals to make it 2-2. However, then enter Fabian Zetterlund. He scored two quick goals in a matter of seconds. Together with another quick goal from Eriksson Ek, these goals essentially finished the game and the final victory was never in question, even though Dahlin got a misconduct for something I did not see.
Overall a nice game and lots of goals from some of my favorite players. I was delighted and impressed by Latvian fans who were really noisy and energetic throughout the game. But the day was not yet over for me. I planned to see a lower league football game in Ostrava. With plenty of time left, I decided to walk and besides, I needed to have something to eat. The prices around the arena were outrageous so I had to go find something. Unfortunately, turns out the rest of Ostrava is not quite cashless yet, so I had to find an ATM. A stroll among some gloomy parts with gypsies and other unsavoury character made me question my decision.
Finally, I had some cash and found a local hospudka for a nice czech meal of some schnitzel with boiled potatoes and dark Kozel. I might have overpaid for the meal in my yellow Tre Kronor gear though. So when I finally reached the ground, I had no cash for the entry. It started raining heavily and the area around had no ATMs whatsoever. Unfortunately, I could not get inside the ground but you could still see the game from behind the fence. I decided that it should be enough and finally went to the railway station for an uneventful trip home.
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