Ice hockey was introduced to Novosibirsk in 1948 by Ivan Tsyba, who returned from a hockey seminar in Moscow with equipment to play the sport. Immediately popular amongst the populace, the local sports society, Dynamo, decided to establish a hockey team.[1] The first hockey rink was built in autumn 1948 near the Ob River. A second rink was built in February 1949, at the Spartak Stadium.[2] Several teams played in Novosibirsk in this era, the strongest being Dynamo.