Pardubice-Brno, Outdoors on January 2

Pardubice-Svítkov Speedway, covered in snow, before
construction of the hockey rink. Photo courtesy Jan Hrabal.

After weeks of speculation, the APK, HC Eaton Pardubice and HC Kometa Brno announced today at a press conference and via their respective websites that they will, indeed, stage an outdoor game at Pardubice-Svítkov Speedway on January 2.

The event, which has been titled "Hockey Open Air Game 2011", will feature Eaton Pardubice hosting Kometa Brno in a Tipsport Extraliga game beginning at 12:30 PM CEST (11:30 AM GMT, 6:30 AM EST). It will be preceded by a legends game between past members of the Pardubice and Brno clubs, which will begin at 10:00 AM local time.

The stadium, which sits in the Svítkov district of Pardubice, hosts the famous Zlatá přilba or "Golden Helmet" motorcycle race every October. The ice rink will be constructed on the circuit's grass infield. Its planned configuration for this event would allow for more than 25,000 spectators; 17,000 seated and another 8,000 standing. If filled to capacity, which is expected, it would become the largest recorded crowd to watch a hockey game in the Czech Republic. The current record stands at 18,500, for the grand opening of Prague's Sportovní hala (now TESLA Arena) in 1962, in which Spartak Sokolov hosted ZKL Brno.

Pardubice General Manager Zbyněk Kusý, who has also been part of the organisation teams for two World Junior Championships held in Pardubice, says that preparations to the stadium will begin on December 9. It is expected to cost 15 million Czech crowns (roughly USD 790,000) and require 700 workers.

The only player on either team's roster who has participated before in a high-level outdoor game is Pardubice forward Rastislav Špirko, who played for Slovakia in an international friendly in Switzerland in February 2009. Two American players, defenceman Jeff Jillson and forward Adam Pineault, currently play for Pardubice. Jillson played his last game for the University of Michigan seven months before they played an outdoor game against rival Michigan State in October 2001.

Tickets, which range from CZK 450 to 1000 (approximately USD 24 to 53) go on sale December 6 at the ČEZ Arena box office in Pardubice. For those fans abroad who might want to make a trip to see this event in Pardubice, requests can be made via e-mail to mirek.novotny@hcpce.cz beginning December 1.

This will be the first professional outdoor game in the Czech Republic, but not in Europe. Leagues in Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, and Russia have already hosted games outdoors, and one is scheduled for Finland in February.

Sunday's action sees movement in the standings

As the Tipsport Extraliga approaches the halfway point of its schedule, the standings remain compact. Every round of games shuffles the deck a little bit, and Sunday was no different. All 14 teams were in action on the same day for round 25 of the league's 52-game schedule.

At the top of the table, HC Olelaří Třinec and HC Vítkovice Steel both managed to win and remain tied for first place. Vítkovice routed a floundering Sparta Praha club 4-1 in Prague, while Třínec shut out a Plzeň squad that had been resurgent as of late.  

Doug O'Brien's return to Sparta's blueline, after sitting out one game with an injured shoulder, was unable to help his team break a losing streak that has now reached six games.

Meanwhile, in Třinec, Peter Hamerlík made 31 saves for his third shutout of the season, frustrating Plzeň attackers all night. In an attempt to shake things up, coach Marian Jelínek split up the duo of John Lammers and Nick Johnson, who normally play together. Johnson saw action with Radek Duda and Martin Straka, while Lammers ended up with Michal Dvořák and Martin Heřman. For Třinec, who won 4-0, Bryan McGregor of Niagra Falls, ON played on a line with Jan Peterek and Jakub Osrava.

In his second game with BK Mladá Boleslav, Oshawa, ON's Scott Barney recorded his second point. Barney played on Boleslav's top line with Daniel Boháč and Tomáš Divíšek, and trio struck twice to give Boleslav an early lead in a game they desperately needed to try to get themselves back into the playoff race. However, HC Slavia Praha were just as desperate and stormed back to win the game, 3-2 on the road. Jiří Doležal scored the winning goal early in the third period, as Slavia moved into a ninth-place tie with HC Benzina Litvínov.

And in a battle for fifth place, HC Eaton Pardubice won on the road against PSG Zlín, 4-3. Pardubice's two Americans, defenceman Jeff Jillson and left-winger Adam Pineault were both pointless, with Jillson picking up a tripping minor in the third period.

Other results:

HC Kometa Brno 3-0 HC Vagnerplast Kladno
HC Mountfield České Budějovice 3-2 HC Energie Karlovy Vary (OT)
HC Benzina Litvínov 0-1 Bílí Tigři Liberec

Outdoor game in Pardubice?

The trend started on September 6, 2001. US college hockey rivals Michigan and Michigan State faced off in the "Cold War", an outdoor game played before 74,544 fans at Spartan Stadium. Since then, it's become a regular occurrence in North America. In Europe, it's been done in leagues in Switzerland, Sweden, and Russia. Last May, the IIHF got into the act, staging a World Championships match in Gelsenkirchen, Germany that drew a world-record 77,803 spectators. Now, news agency ČTK is reporting that it may happen in the Czech Republic.

The proposal tentatively calls for a game to be played at the Pardubice-Svítkov Speedway, which could accommodate approximately 25,000. A scheduled January 2 contest between HC Eaton Pardubice and HC Kometa Brno is being eyed, which would be one day after the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals outdoors at Heinz Field.

"We're working to make our plans become reality," said Pardubice General Manager Zbyněk Kusý. "But it is still premature to talk about this as a done deal. We still have to choose from several opponents and dates. The target for this event is January."

The event, which is scheduled to be discussed on Tuesday at a meeting of the (Czech) Association of Professional Ice Hockey Clubs, is budgeted at CZK 10 million (approximately USD 500,000). "The cost for us it is a pretty decent risk. But since we assume a great response and especially from our great fans, we see an event like this as a gift to the people"


Eaton Pardubice currently has Adam Pineault of Holyoke, MA and Jeff Jillson of North Smithfield, RI on its roster. Jillson signed with San Jose in 2001 with a year of eligibility left at the University of Michigan, causing him to narrowly miss playing in the original "Cold War".