Jaroslav Pouzar has started building a new ice rink in Budějovice

photo: Bukolsky architects

České Budějovice - Former hockey representative and Stanley Cup winner Jaroslav Pouzar is building a new ice rink in České Budějovice, which is primarily intended to serve youth teams. The construction costs, which should be completed in the autumn of 2012, amount to approximately 150 million crowns, said project partner and manager Václav Švec from Beta 1 Development in a statement to ČTK.
     The Pouzar Hockey Center will rise in the area of the former Čtyřdvorové barracks on an area of approximately 4,000 square meters. "We started construction two months ago and we believe that as soon as it is completed, which will be in the autumn of next year, we will start operations there," Švec said. The facility will have not only an ice rink but also a gym and a recovery center.
     The project applied for support from European Union funds last year but was unsuccessful. Therefore, the project management sought alternative financing methods. Pouzar stated that the construction is financed partially from its own resources, further from loans, and with support from other entities.
     Pouzar, who won the Stanley Cup three times with the Edmonton Oilers at the turn of the 80s and 90s, wants the stadium to primarily serve youth. He expects that the České Budějovice Lions club will play there. "We gradually plan to field teams in all youth categories. We aim to develop players here not just for adult hockey," Pouzar noted.
     Several professional coaches will take care of the development of young hockey players. "In the near future, we will prepare a recruitment of new boys who could start playing for the České Budějovice Lions from the next season," Pouzar said.
     Fifty-nine-year-old Pouzar was among the famous Czechoslovak hockey players in the last century. He became a world champion in 1976 and 1977, winning three silver medals at world championships. He also played in the NHL, where he triumphed three times in the Stanley Cup with the Edmonton Oilers (1983, 1985, and 1987). In Edmonton, he also played in attack with the greatest hockey player of all time, Wayne Gretzky.