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National League (ice hockey)

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and the highest level of the Swiss league system. Before the 2017–18 season, it was called National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league had more spectators per game than any other league in Europe, with an average of 6,949 fans.

One of the most popular teams is SC Bern, based in the capital city. This team has been ranked the best club in Europe for 18 seasons and had over 16,000 fans watching each game after the regular season. Another well-known team is the ZSC Lions, which also draws large crowds.

Teams from the National League take part in the IIHF's Champions Hockey League each year. This competition lets the best teams from different European leagues fight for the European Trophy. Because the National League is very strong, it was ranked the number two league in Europe for the 2022–23 CHL season, which means its top five teams could join the Champions Hockey League.

Season structure

In the regular season, each of the 14 teams plays 52 games. The top eight teams then move on to the playoffs to compete for the title of Swiss champion, with each series being the best of seven games. The four teams with the lowest scores enter a relegation tournament, called playouts. These teams keep their regular season points and play six more matches. After these matches, the two lowest-ranked teams face each other in a best-of-seven series. The losing team then competes against the winner of the Swiss League playoffs, also in a best-of-seven series, to earn a place in the next season's league.

Current teams

The National League features many teams from Switzerland. Some of the teams include HC Ajoie, HC Ambrì-Piotta, SC Bern, EHC Biel, HC Davos, Fribourg-Gottéron, Genève-Servette HC, EHC Kloten, Lausanne HC, HC Lugano, SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers, SCL Tigers, ZSC Lions, and EV Zug.

These teams compete each season, with fans coming to cheer them on. Below is a map showing where each team is located for the 2024–25 season.

TeamLocationArenaCapacityFoundedJoined league
CityCanton
HC AjoiePorrentruy JuraRaiffeisen Arena5,17819732021
HC Ambrì-PiottaAmbrì TicinoGottardo Arena6,77519371985
SC BernBern BernPostFinance Arena17,03119311986
EHC BielBiel/Bienne BernTissot Arena6,56219392008
HC DavosDavos Grisonszondacrypto Arena6,54719211993
Fribourg-GottéronFribourg FribourgBCF Arena9,26219381980
Genève-Servette HCGeneva GenevaPatinoire des Vernets7,13519052001
EHC KlotenKloten ZürichSWISS Arena7,60019342022
Lausanne HCLausanne VaudVaudoise Aréna9,60019222013
HC LuganoLugano TicinoCornèr Arena7,80019411981
SC Rapperswil-Jona LakersRapperswil-Jona St. GallenSt. Galler Kantonalbank Arena6,10019452018
SCL TigersLangnau im Emmental BernEmmental Versicherung Arena6,00019462015
ZSC LionsZürich ZürichSwiss Life Arena12,00019301989
EV ZugZug ZugOYM Hall7,80019671987

Import players

The National League has a special rule that lets teams have up to six players who are not from Switzerland in each game. This rule is not a law, but an agreement between teams. Players from other countries can still count as Swiss if they have a Swiss player license, which happens if they grew up playing hockey in Switzerland. This helps teams include players like Josh Jooris from Genève-Servette HC and Floran Douay from HC Ambrì-Piotta.

There is often discussion among team leaders about how many import players should be allowed. Some think allowing more would help lower salaries for top Swiss players, while others believe keeping the number low helps Swiss players get more important roles on their teams.

Media coverage

The National League's games are shown only in Switzerland on MySports. This is the league's official broadcaster, and it shows every game from the regular season and playoffs. MySports pays a lot of money each year to show these games, and the games have commentary in German, French, and Italian.

Starting in the 2022-23 season, some games are also shown on free-to-air local channels in all three language areas of Switzerland. Beginning with the 2024-25 season, SRG SSR will no longer have the rights to broadcast these games.

Past champions

Main article: List of Swiss ice hockey champions

The National League has had many champions over the years. Some teams have won many times, like HC Davos, which has been champion often since the league began. Other teams like SC Bern and ZSC Lions have also won several titles recently.

Here are some of the past champions:

Swiss National Championship Serie A (1909–1937)

Titles by club

ClubWinnersWinning years
HC Davos311926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944,
1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1958, 1960, 1984, 1985, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2015
SC Bern161959, 1965, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019
ZSC111936, 1949, 1961, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2024, 2025
EHC Arosa91951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1980, 1982
HC Lugano71986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1999, 2003, 2006
HC La Chaux-de-Fonds61968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973
EHC Kloten51967, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
HC Bellerive Vevey31909, 1919, 1920
HC Bern31916, 1917, 1918
EHC St. Moritz31922, 1923, 1928
EHC Biel31978, 1981, 1983
EV Zug31998, 2021, 2022
HC Les Avants21912, 1913
HC Rosey-Gstaad21921, 1925
HC Villars21963, 1964
HC La Villa Lausanne11910
Club des patineurs de Lausanne11911
HC Château-d’Œx11924
EHC Visp11962
Grasshopper-Club Zürich11966
SC Langnau11976
Genève-Servette HC12023
HC Fribourg-Gottéron12026

Related articles

Ice hockey
Switzerland
International Ice Hockey Federation
Champions Hockey League
Canton of Bern

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on National League (ice hockey), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.