UBC July 2026 - HC Sparta Prague vs HC Pardubice

On our first full day in Prague, we took a lot of steps. and I have an Apple Watch to prove it. We took a short break in a nice little park on the banks of the Vltava River.

“So, we’ve looked at a few things that were on Mom’s wish list. What do you really want to see?” Hubby asked Colin.

I wasn’t overly surprised by his answer: the hockey arena. When we travel, he always, always wants to visit the local stadium, even if it’s off-season and everything is closed.

O2 Arena is home to HC Sparta Prague and, with a capacity of 17,383 spectators, it is the third-largest ice hockey arena in Europe.

It has hosted major sporting events, including the 2024 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship, where Czechia beat us, Switzerland, in the final. Ugh.

Anyway.

On our way there, a couple boarded the underground wearing Sparta Prague jerseys. It was late afternoon. Were they crazy tourists too?

“Do you think the season is still on?” I asked Colin. Our playoffs in Switzerland were already well underway.

He shrugged, so I googled it and discovered Sparta Prague was in the semifinals against HC Dynamo Pardubice, the team that had finished first in the regular season.

Now, neither team was unfamiliar to us. Both had competed several times in the Spengler Cup, held annually in Davos, Switzerland, between December 26 and 31.

Also, Swiss National League teams regularly feature Czech players, including fan favorite Roman Červenka, who, you guessed it, currently plays for Pardubice.

My interest was sparked.

“Let’s check whether, by any chance, there are last-minute tickets available,” I suggested.

But no. Sold out.

More than 17,000 tickets gone for a game starting at what felt to me like the middle of the afternoon: 5:45 p.m. How do people manage that?

The place was buzzing when we arrived. We recognized many names on the jerseys around us. Players who had either played in the Swiss National League or represented the Czech national team at some point: Filip Chlapík, Jakub Kovář, Lukáš Sedlák, just to name a few.

We walked around and, away from the main entrance, I spotted a ticket window with someone sitting inside.

If someone’s working there, there must be something to do, I thought, and decided to take a chance.

I walked up to ask whether there might be any tickets left, perhaps from people who hadn’t made it in time.

The moment I approached, the woman stood up, turned her back to me, and walked away from the counter.

“Let’s wait. She has to come back,” I said.

That’s when I noticed Colin and Hubby exchanging hand signals.

“Mom, you don’t have to wait for her to come back,” Colin smirked. “We have tickets.”

My jaw must have dropped.

We have what? How? When?

They were ridiculously pleased with themselves.

They had organized the tickets a few days earlier while they were still in Vienna (and I was at home, working), and somehow they managed to keep it secret without letting me in on it.

If they forget Mother’s Day this year, I’ll just remind myself that April 8 was my special day.

And special it was.

Only PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is a larger arena where I’ve ever watched a hockey game.

And this wasn’t just any game.

Sparta Prague vs. Pardubice is something of a derby, and this was, I think, Game 4 of the semifinals series. National anthem and all.

The atmosphere was incredible.

The fans were passionate, loud, and in some cases very drunk. The couple sitting in front of us piled up seven or eight beer mugs each, holding at least half a liter = 17 ounces.

Sparta Prague eventually won 4:2 thanks to an empty-netter, although they would later be eliminated from the series. Pardubice advanced to the final against HC Oceláři Třinec and defeated them.

Guess who scored the overtime game-winner to make it 5:4?

Exactly.

“Our” Roman Červenka.

With that victory, Pardubice celebrated its seventh Czech Tipsport Extraliga championship title, and its first since 2012.

You may not share my excitement about hockey, but I still expect you to be happy for me.

Because this? This is my favorite kind of surprise: other people organizing an unforgettable experience for me.

So … are you happy for me?