#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. Families, neighbourhoods, houses, towns, cities, and the country cheered for hockey players. In Norilsk, the love for this sport was particularly fuelled by the opening of the Arctica sports palace. Its own indoor ice arena launched a new round of sports development in our city in general and hockey in particular.
In April 1970, the Norilsk sports palace for the first time hosted local hockey players on its ice. But it was only a ‘test puck’ for Arctica. The arena was far from being fully ready, it was still being completed. A year later, in February 1971, Arctica was preparing to receive the first foreign guests: the USSR championship in hockey class B of the Far East zone. Colourful posters appeared on the streets, citizens were waiting for the ticket sales start. Before the opening of the championship, the sports palace was still in the process of installing and cleaning the seats and handrails on the stands, covering the arena walls with experimental lacquer boards, and mounting the electronic scoreboard.
“The beautiful neon business card of the palace can be seen from afar”, wrote the city newspaper. “It attracts hockey fans like a magnet. It is the first time that Norilsk, the city beyond the 69th parallel, is hosting such a representative hockey tournament. The following ice hockey teams has come to Norilsk: SKA (Chita), Vodnik (Vanino port), Granit and Gornyak (Tetyuhe), and Stroitel (Magadan). The hosts – Zapolyarnik sports club – welcome the guests on the ice”.
These competitions, in fact, became the official opening of the Arctica ice arena. At the gala evening, Dmitry Muravyev, head of the construction department, handed a symbolic key to Leonor Yunchis, the first director of Arctica.
“The key belongs to everyone who lives in Norilsk. Come – the new sports palace is open. The hall can accommodate 3000 spectators. Let every spectator become a gym-goer – there is enough number of grounds. The palace is one of the links of a big sports complex. This complex is expanding every year”, the authorities said at the opening.
The chief builder said that the whole city had built the sports palace, in which about four million roubles had been invested. The northernmost indoor skating rink in the world was built by schoolchildren and students, doctors and metallurgists on Saturdays and Sundays. And the first stage – the ice arena – was completed!
On the first day of the competition the Norilsk rivals played their first two matches. In total, the tournament lasted for a fortnight – until 18 February. A total of 30 hockey matches were played. Norilsk hockey players did not win the USSR championship, but they were among the prize winners. Our athletes did not have enough stamina to maintain the high pace: as a result, only the third place. But the Norilsk residents saw real hockey for the first time in their home arena. After that first big hockey at home, the whole 1970s were marked by the passion for this sport among both big and small Norilsk residents. Already in 1971, 841 people were involved in ice hockey and 323 in ball hockey. And by the mid-1970s there were about 30 adult teams in Norilsk alone. Even a local ‘top league’ was formed among them: teams of the largest Norilsk enterprises with the strongest athletes, such as Stroitel, Shakhtyor, Gornyak, Metallurg. The student team also fought here. There were also about 45 children’s hockey teams – three age groups. In addition, all schools in the city were mandated to teach children to skate. For this purpose, school rinks began to be made, and the ice field of the Zapolyarnik stadium was also used.
The second stage of the Arctica – the arena – was completed by January 1975. The two buildings of the sports palace were connected by a transition gallery with auxiliary premises. And the Norilsk residents’ passion for hockey and figure skating was supplemented by their love for gymnastics, trampolining and track and field athletics.
In the History Spot’s previous publication, we talked about the Norilsk swimming pool – the oasis in the winter city.
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Text: Svetlana Ferapontova, Photo: Olga Zaderyaka, Norilsk residents and the Nornickel Polar Division’s archives
