Ligue Magnus
Current season, competition or edition: 2017–18 Ligue Magnus season | |
 | |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1906 |
| No. of teams | 12 |
| Country | France |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dragons de Rouen (15) |
| Most titles | Chamonix (30) |
| Relegation to | FFHG Division 1 |
| Official website | liguemagnus.com |
Synerglace Ligue Magnus is the current name for the top men's division of the French ice hockey pyramid, established in 1906. The league was renamed in 2004 to take the name of its championship trophy, the Magnus Cup. The trophy was in turn named for Frenchman and IIHF founder Louis Magnus. During the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, the league was officially known as Saxoprint Ligue Magnus, due to a sponsorship deal with Saxoprint, the online printing subsidiary of German conglomerate Cewe.
Format
12 teams play a 44-game regular season. The schedule is fully balanced and there are no geographic conferences.
The top 8 teams qualify for the Magnus Cup playoffs, with all series contested in a best-of-seven format. The remaining 4 teams play a 6-game round-robin, at the end of which the last-place team is relegated.
The Magnus Cup champions qualify for the following season's Champions Hockey League.
All Ligue Magnus teams also take part in the French Cup.
Import rule
Game night rosters must include at least 11 players who have spent 3 or more years in the French hockey system before the age of 21.
French citizenship itself is not a requirement to qualify for non-import status, as long as the player meets the above criteria. Conversely, a citizen of France who was fully trained in a foreign country will count as an import regardless of his French citizenship.
Level of play
The Ligue Magnus is considered a mid-tier European league. The International Ice Hockey Federation ranks it below the Central European Erste Bank Eishockey Liga or the Norwegian league, but ahead of the Dutch and British leagues.
Media
Television
The Magnus Cup championship series is broadcast on L'Equipe.
Internet streaming
All league games can be watched online in their entirety, live or delayed, for a monthly subscription fee of approximately €8. The service is managed by Finnish company Fanseat.
Video game
Hockey Dangles '16: Saxoprint Magnus Edition, an arcade-style mobile video game based on the league, has been released for Android and iOS devices.[1] Its launch coincided with the opening of the 2016-17 season.
Outdoor games
On December 22, 2013, Grenoble and Briançon played an outdoor regular season game at Stade des Alpes, the home of former Ligue 1 soccer club GF38. A sellout attendance of 19,767 set a league record.
Another outdoor game took place on December 30, 2016, when Lyon hosted Grenoble at Parc OL, the home field of seven-time Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais. The event drew a heavily papered 25,182 fans, which was nonetheless touted as a new record.[2]
2017/18 Teams
| Team | City | Arena | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gothiques | Amiens | Coliséum | 1967 |
| Ducs | Angers | Patinoire du Haras | 1982 |
| Boxers | Bordeaux | Patinoire de Mériadeck | 1999 |
| Pionniers | Chamonix | Centre Sportif Richard Bozon | 2016 |
| GamYo | Épinal | Patinoire de Poissompré | 1997 |
| Rapaces | Gap | Alp'Arena | 1937 |
| Brûleurs de Loups | Grenoble | Patinoire Pole Sud | 1963 |
| Lions | Lyon | Patinoire Charlemagne | 1953 |
| Aigles | Nice | Patinoire Jean Bouin | 1969 |
| Dragons | Rouen | Patinoire de l'Île Lacroix | 1982 |
| Etoile Noire | Strasbourg | Patinoire Iceberg | 2000 |
| Scorpions | Mulhouse | Patinoire de l'Illberg | 2005 |
Former teams
- Albatros de Brest
- Chamois de Chamonix
- Corsaires de Dunkerque
- Diables Rouges de Briançon
- Drakkars de Caen
- Ducs de Dijon
- Jets de Viry-Essonne
- Orques d'Anglet
- Ours de Villard-de-Lans
- Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz
- Sangliers Arvernes
- Avalanche du Mont-Blanc
Defunct teams
Previous winners
Titles by team
| Pl | Team | Titles | Winning seasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chamonix | 30 | 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1979 |
| 2 | Rouen (earlier known as RHC (Rouen Hockey Club) and also known as Rouen Hockey Élite 76) | 14 | 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 |
| 3 | Club des Patineurs de Paris (also known as Ice Skating Club de Paris and Sports d'Hiver de Paris) | 7 | 1908, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1920, 1921, 1922 |
| 4 | Saint-Gervais | 6 | 1969, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1986 |
| Grenoble (earlier known as CSG Grenoble) | 6 | 1981, 1982, 1991, 1998, 2007, 2009 | |
| 6 | Français Volants Paris | 4 | 1936, 1937, 1938, 1989 |
| Gap | 4 | 1977, 1978, 2015, 2017 | |
| Stade Français Paris (also known as Rapides de Paris) | 4 | 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935 | |
| 9 | AC Boulogne-Billancourt | 3 | 1957, 1960, 1962 |
| 10 | Brest | 2 | 1996, 1997 |
| Mont-Blanc | 2 | 1987, 1988 | |
| Racing Club de Paris | 2 | 1950, 1951 | |
| Reims HC | 2 | 2000, 2002 | |
| Amiens Somme | 2 | 1999, 2004 | |
| 15 | Megève | 1 | 1984 |
| CP Lyon | 1 | 1956 | |
| SC Lyon | 1 | 1907 | |
| ASG Tours | 1 | 1980 | |
| Paris Université Club | 1 | 1953 | |
| Hockey Club de Mulhouse | 1 | 2005 | |
| Briançon | 1 | 2014 |
Awards
- Charles Ramsay Trophy (top scorer)
- Albert Hassler Trophy (most valuable player of French citizenship)
- Marcel Claret Trophy (most sportsmanlike team)
- Raymond Dewas Trophy (most sportsmanlike player)
- Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy (most valuable rookie)
- Jean Ferrand Trophy (most valuable goaltender)
- French Coach of the Year Award (top coach)
Notable players
- Philippe Bozon (St. Louis Blues, Genève-Servette HC)
- Alain Daigle (Chicago Blackhawks)
- Evgeny Davydov (HC CSKA Moscow, Winnipeg Jets)
- Steve Gainey (Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes)
- Cristobal Huet (Los Angeles Kings, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks)
- Steve Montador (Calgary Flames, Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres)
- Steven Reinprecht (Calgary Flames, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes)
- Mark Rycroft (St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche)
- Richard Sévigny (Montreal Canadiens, Quebec Nordiques)
- Claude Verret (Buffalo Sabres, Lausanne HC, Rochester Americans)
In addition, Bob Gainey (Montreal Canadiens) and Brian Propp (Philadelphia Flyers) have played in the second tier of French hockey.
References
- ^ Hockey Dangles'16 Saxoprint Magnus Edition - Trailer FR (Trailer) (in French). Toulon: GamYo Studio. 29 July 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
- ^ Riglet, Sébastien (31 December 2016). "Winter Game : 25182 personnes au Parc OL, vraiment ?". LeSportDauphinois.com. JHN Média. Retrieved 1 January 2017.