Yesterday, I went to play ice hockey at the practice rink of the Veikkaus Arena in Helsinki. In Finnish, the place is called the 'ice cave' (jääluola). And that's exactly what it is, as the location is deep within the bowels of the earth. The rink is built inside an area excavated into the bedrock, and you walk to it along a long corridor starting from the backyard of the Veikkaus Arena.

The rink is used daily for practice by Jokerit and other users. The ice rink has been reopened for use, as it was closed for nearly four years! Russians were co-owners of this exact same ice rink, which is why it couldn't remain open. Now the ice rink is once again fully Finnish-owned and its name is Veikkaus Arena.

The ice rink itself doesn't differ from a normal ice rink other than through its exotic nature. There wasn't a terrible echo, and the ice is really good. The ice doesn't collect loose snow and stays good for a long time. For example, yesterday we played 75 minutes of intensive ice hockey and there weren't many marks on the ice at all. The locker rooms and other facilities were good and up to the standard of Jokerit's professional team. The representative (main) team also practices there a lot.

At the end of the ice slot, I still had to get back up to the surface. It was surprisingly tiring to carry wet gear and walk uphill. A 20-meter journey from the depths doesn't sound like much, but when a driveway is built down there that cars can also use, the distance feels long. By the way, the place is open every single day of the year. If you are ever in Helsinki or just passing by, be sure to check it out!