ZSC Lions

ZSC Lions
CityZürich, Switzerland
LeagueNational League
Founded1930
Home arenaSwiss Life Arena
Colors     
General managerSven Leuenberger
Head coachMarc Crawford
CaptainPatrick Geering
AffiliateGCK Lions
Websitewww.zsclions.ch
Franchise history
1930–1997Zürcher SC
1997–presentZSC Lions
Current season

The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the National League (NL). Their home arena is the 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena. The team was founded in 1930 and played at the Dolder-Kunsteisbahn from its establishment until 1950.[1] Between 1950 and 2022 they played at the Hallenstadion.

History

ZSC Lions were formed in 1997 as a result of the merger of the two local teams: the highly popular Zürcher Schlittschuh Club (German for "Zürich Skating Club"), who were struggling financially in National League A, and the ice hockey section of Grasshopper Club Zürich of the National League B, backed by entrepreneur and billionaire Walter Frey.[2]

ZSC was the first Swiss team to play in an indoor arena (Hallenstadion). They won the Swiss championship in the years 1936, 1949 and 1961 and the prestigious Spengler Cup in 1944 and 1945. After the merger, the ZSC Lions won the Swiss Championship in 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2018, and moreover won the IIHF Continental Cup in 2001 and 2002.

Champions Hockey League and Victoria Cup

The first overall NHL draft pick (2016) Auston Matthews with the ZSC Lions during the 2015–16 regular season

During the 2008–09 Season, the ZSC Lions participated in the first ever Champions Hockey League. For the group stage, they were placed in group D with HC Slavia Praha and Linköpings HC. The Lions qualified for the semi-finals with a 3–1 record, first place in the group. With their defeats of the Finnish Espoo Blues, 6–3 and 4–1 respectively, they qualified for the tournament final. The first leg of the final was held on January 21, 2009 in the Magnitogorsk Arena where the Lions came back from a 0–2 deficit to Metallurg Magnitogorsk to end with a 2–2 tie.[3] The second leg was played a week later, on January 28, 2009, in the Diners Club Arena in Rapperswil-Jona, Switzerland. ZSC Lions won the game and the Silver Stone Trophy with a 5–0 victory.

With their victory in the Champions Hockey League, the ZSC Lions qualified to play the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League for the 2009 edition of the Victoria Cup challenge. Playing at their home arena, the Lions upset the Blackhawks with a 2–1 victory, winning the trophy.[4] It was the first time since 1991 that the Blackhawks had lost to a club in Europe.

Honors

Players

Current roster

Updated 19 August 2024

No. Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
10 Switzerland Sven Andrighetto RW L 31 2020 Sumiswald, Switzerland
18 Switzerland Nicolas Baechler W L 21 2023 Illnau-Effretikon, Switzerland
38 Latvia Rūdolfs Balcers LW L 27 2023 Liepāja, Latvia
14 Switzerland Chris Baltisberger RW R 33 2012 Zofingen, Switzerland
77 Switzerland Timo Bünzli D L 19 2024 Zurich, Switzerland
28 Sweden Jesper Frödén RW R 30 2023 Stockholm, Sweden
4 Switzerland Patrick Geering (C) D L 34 2008 Zurich, Switzerland
70 Switzerland Marlon Graf W R 22 2023 Wettingen, Switzerland
27 Canada Derek Grant C L 34 2023 Abbotsford, Canada
7 Switzerland Joel Henry C L 21 2024 Münsterlingen, Switzerland
91 Switzerland Denis Hollenstein (A) Injured Reserve LW L 35 2018 Mosnang, Switzerland
30 Czech Republic Šimon Hrubec G L 33 2022 Vimperk, Czech Republic
72 Finland Santtu Kinnunen D R 25 2024 Lahti, Finland
46 Switzerland Dean Kukan D L 31 2022 Volketswil, Switzerland
83 Finland Juho Lammikko C L 28 2022 Noormarkku, Finland
44 Finland Mikko Lehtonen D L 30 2022 Turku, Finland
62 Switzerland Denis Malgin (A) C R 27 2023 Olten, Switzerland
54 Switzerland Christian Marti D L 31 2016 Bülach, Switzerland
8 Switzerland Willy Riedl W L 26 2021 Dielsdorf, Switzerland
9 Austria Vinzenz Rohrer C R 20 2023 Rankweil, Austria
33 Switzerland Jan Schwendeler D L 21 2024 Zug, Switzerland
13 Switzerland Justin Sigrist C L 25 2019 Hombrechtikon, Switzerland
86 Switzerland Dario Trutmann D R 32 2019 Zug, Switzerland
29 Switzerland Daniil Ustinkov D L 18 2024 Zurich, Switzerland
6 Switzerland Yannick Weber D R 36 2021 Morges, Switzerland
12 Switzerland Yannick Zehnder C L 26 2023 Zug, Switzerland
40 Switzerland Robin Zumbühl G L 26 2024 Urdorf, Switzerland

References

  1. ^ "1930 bis heute | ZSC Lions". www.zsclions.ch. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
  2. ^ "ZSC-Lions Brochure" (PDF) (in German). zsclions.ch. 2021-07-13. Retrieved 2022-09-27.
  3. ^ "Game Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-01-21.
  4. ^ "Blackhawks suffer first loss to European club since '91". ESPN.com. 2009-09-29. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
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