ZSC Lions

Lore & Background

The ZSC Lions were created in 1997 from the merger of the Zürcher Schlittschuh Club (ZSC), a financially struggling team in National League A, and the ice hockey section of Grasshopper Club Zürich of National League B, backed by billionaire Walter Frey. The original ZSC club was founded in 1930 and played at the Dolder-Kunsteisbahn until 1950, then at the Hallenstadion from 1950 to 2022. ZSC was the first Swiss team to play in an indoor arena (Hallenstadion).

Before the merger, ZSC won Swiss championships in 1936, 1949, and 1961, and the Spengler Cup in 1944 and 1945. After the merger, the ZSC Lions won Swiss championships in 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, and 2018, and also won the IIHF Continental Cup in 2001 and 2002.

In the 2008–09 season, the ZSC Lions participated in the first ever Champions Hockey League. They placed first in group D with a 3–1 record, then defeated Espoo Blues in the semi-finals. In the final, they tied Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2–2 in the first leg and won the second leg 5–0 to claim the Silver Stone Trophy. As CHL champions, they faced the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009 Victoria Cup, winning 2–1 at home—the first time since 1991 that the Blackhawks lost to a European club.

Reader's Guide

The ZSC Lions hold a significant place in Swiss and European hockey history. As the first Swiss team to play in an indoor arena, they pioneered modern hockey infrastructure in Switzerland. Their 1997 merger, combining a popular but struggling top-league club with a second-league team backed by a billionaire, created a powerhouse that has won multiple Swiss championships and international titles. The team's victory in the inaugural Champions Hockey League in 2009, capped by a 5–0 shutout in the final, marked a milestone for Swiss hockey on the continental stage. Their subsequent upset of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks in the Victoria Cup—the first time since 1991 that Chicago lost to a European club—further elevated the club's international reputation. The ZSC Lions have also won the IIHF Continental Cup twice (2001, 2002) and the Spengler Cup twice (1944, 1945). Their home arena, the Swiss Life Arena, seats 12,000 spectators, and the club continues to compete in the National League, adding Swiss championships in 2024 and 2025 and a second Champions Hockey League title in 2025.

Did You Know?

• The team won the inaugural Champions Hockey League in 2009, defeating Metallurg Magnitogorsk 5–0 in the second leg of the final.
• In 2009, the ZSC Lions defeated the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks 2–1 in the Victoria Cup, the first time since 1991 that Chicago lost to a European club.