View source for ZSC Lions

{{Short description|Swiss professional hockey team}}
{{Infobox ice hockey team
| current     = 2025–26 National League (ice hockey) season
| text_color  = #000000
| bg_color    = background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#0068B6 5px solid; border-bottom:#E70001 5px solid;
| team        = ZSC Lions
| logo        = ZSC Lions logo.svg
| logosize    = 230px
| city        = [[Zürich]], [[Switzerland]]
| league      = [[National League (ice hockey)|National League]]
| conference  = 
| division    = 
| founded     = 1930
| arena       = [[Swiss Life Arena]]
| colors      = {{Color box|#0068b6}} {{Color box|#FFFFFF}} {{Color box|#e70001}} 
| owner       = 
| coach       = [[Marco Bayer]]
| GM          = [[Sven Leuenberger]]
| captain     = [[Patrick Geering]]
| media       = 
| affiliates  = [[GCK Lions]]
<!---History--->
| name1       = Zürcher SC
| dates1      = 1930–1997
| name2       = ZSC Lions
| dates2      = 1997–present
| website     = {{URL|www.zsclions.ch}}
<!---Championships--->
|reg_season_titles = 
|division_titles = 
|conf_titles  = 
}}

The '''Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions''' are a professional [[ice hockey]] team located in [[Zürich]], [[Switzerland]], playing in the [[National League (ice hockey)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.zsclions.ch/club/clubgeschichte/1930-bis-heute/|title=1930 bis heute {{!}} ZSC Lions|website=www.zsclions.ch|access-date=2016-05-29|archive-date=2016-04-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416165101/http://www.zsclions.ch/club/clubgeschichte/1930-bis-heute/|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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 language|German]] for "Zürich Skating Club"), who were struggling financially in [[National League (ice hockey)|National League A]], and the ice hockey section of [[Grasshopper Club Zürich]] of the [[Swiss League|National League B]], backed by entrepreneur and billionaire Walter Frey.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.zsclions.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/www.zsclions.ch/club/ueber_uns/Broschuere_ZSC-Lions.pdf | title=ZSC-Lions Brochure | publisher=zsclions.ch | date=2021-07-13 | access-date=2022-09-27 | language = de}}</ref>

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===
[[File:Auston Matthews IMG 7890.jpg|thumb|The [[List of first overall NHL draft picks|first overall NHL draft pick]] ([[2016 NHL Entry Draft|2016]]) [[Auston Matthews]] with the ZSC Lions during the [[2015–16 NLA season|2015–16 regular season]]]]
During the 2008–09 Season, the ZSC Lions participated in the first ever [[Champions Hockey League (2008–09)|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 [[Arena Metallurg|Magnitogorsk Arena]] where the Lions came back from a 0–2 deficit to [[Metallurg Magnitogorsk]] to end with a 2–2 tie.<ref>{{cite web | title = Game Summary | url = http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/4/IHM004129_74_3_0.pdf | access-date = 2009-01-21 | archive-date = 2019-02-06 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190206095613/http://reports.iihf.hockey/Hydra/4/IHM004129_74_3_0.pdf | url-status = dead }}</ref> The second leg was played a week later, on January 28, 2009, in the [[St. Galler Kantonalbank Arena|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 Victoria Cup|2009 edition]] of the [[Victoria Cup (ice hockey)|Victoria Cup]] challenge. Playing at their home arena, the Lions upset the Blackhawks with a 2–1 victory, winning the trophy.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://espn.go.com/nhl/recap/_/id/290929063/chicago-blackhawks-vs-zsc-lions-zurich | title=Blackhawks suffer first loss to European club since '91 | publisher=ESPN.com | date=2009-09-29 | access-date=2011-08-12}}</ref> It was the first time since 1991 that the Blackhawks had lost to a club in Europe.

==Honors==
*'''[[National League (ice hockey)|Swiss Champions]]''' ''(11)'': 1936, 1949, 1961, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2024, 2025
*'''[[Victoria Cup (ice hockey)|Victoria Cup]]''' ''(1)'': 2009
*'''[[Champions Hockey League]]''' (2): 2009 (Silver Stone trophy), 2025
*'''[[IIHF Continental Cup]]''' ''(2)'': 2001, 2002
*'''[[Swiss Cup (ice hockey)|Swiss Cup]]''' ''(3)'': 1960, 1961, 2016
*'''[[Spengler Cup]]''' ''(2)'': 1944, 1945

==Players==

===Current roster===
<small>Updated 19 August 2024</small>
{{Ice hockey team roster}}

<!-- list of players -->

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Sven | last = Andrighetto | dab = | num = 10 | pos = RW | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1993 | birthmonth = 3 | birthday = 21 | acq = [[2020-21 NL season|2020]] | birthplace = [[Sumiswald|Sumiswald, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Nicolas | last = Baechler | dab = | num = 18 | pos = W | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 2003 | birthmonth = 8 | birthday = 23 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Illnau-Effretikon|Illnau-Effretikon, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Rūdolfs | last = Balcers | dab = | num = 38 | pos = LW | nat = Latvia | s/g = L | birthyear = 1997 | birthmonth = 4 | birthday = 8 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Liepāja|Liepāja, Latvia]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Chris | last = Baltisberger | dab = | num = 14 | pos = RW | nat = SUI | s/g = R | birthyear = 1991 | birthmonth = 10 | birthday = 31 | acq = [[2012-13 NLA season|2012]] | birthplace = [[Zofingen|Zofingen, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Timo | last = Bünzli | dab = | num = 77 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 2005 | birthmonth = 1 | birthday = 31 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Zurich, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Jesper | last = Frödén | dab = | num = 28 | pos = RW | nat = SWE | s/g = R | birthyear = 1994 | birthmonth = 9 | birthday = 21 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Stockholm, Sweden]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Patrick | last = Geering | dab = | num = 4 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1990 | birthmonth = 2 | birthday = 12 | acq = [[2008-09 NLA season|2008]] | birthplace = [[Zurich, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = C | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Marlon | last = Graf | dab = | num = 70 | pos = W | nat = SUI | s/g = R | birthyear = 2002 | birthmonth = 11 | birthday = 21 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Wettingen|Wettingen, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Derek | last = Grant | dab = Derek Grant (ice hockey, born 1990) | num = 27 | pos = C | nat = CAN | s/g = L | birthyear = 1990 | birthmonth = 4 | birthday = 20 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Abbotsford, British Columbia|Abbotsford, Canada]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Joel | last = Henry | dab = Joel Henry (ice hockey) | num = 7 | pos = C | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 2003 | birthmonth = 5 | birthday = 15 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Münsterlingen|Münsterlingen, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Denis | last = Hollenstein | dab = | num = 91 | pos = LW | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1989 | birthmonth = 10 | birthday = 15 | acq = [[2018-19 NL season|2018]] | birthplace = [[Mosnang|Mosnang, Switzerland]] | inj = yes | cap = A | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Šimon | last = Hrubec | dab = | num = 30 | pos = G | nat = CZE | s/g = L | birthyear = 1991 | birthmonth = 6 | birthday = 30 | acq = [[2022-23 NL season|2022]] | birthplace = [[Vimperk|Vimperk, Czech Republic]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Santtu | last = Kinnunen | dab = | num = 72 | pos = D | nat = FIN | s/g = R | birthyear = 1999 | birthmonth = 3 | birthday = 25 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Lahti, Finland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Dean | last = Kukan | dab = | num = 46 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1993 | birthmonth = 7 | birthday = 8 | acq = [[2022-23 NL season|2022]] | birthplace = [[Volketswil|Volketswil, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Juho | last = Lammikko | dab = | num = 83 | pos = C | nat = FIN | s/g =  L| birthyear = 1996 | birthmonth = 1 | birthday = 29 | acq = [[2022-23 NL season|2022]] | birthplace = [[Noormarkku|Noormarkku, Finland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Mikko | last = Lehtonen | dab = Mikko Lehtonen (ice hockey, born 1994) | num = 44 | pos = D | nat = FIN | s/g = L | birthyear = 1994 | birthmonth = 1 | birthday = 16 | acq = [[2022-23 NL season|2022]] | birthplace = [[Turku|Turku, Finland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Denis | last = Malgin | dab = | num = 62 | pos = C | nat = SUI | s/g = R | birthyear = 1997 | birthmonth = 1 | birthday = 18 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Olten|Olten, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = A | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Christian | last = Marti | dab = | num = 54 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1993 | birthmonth = 3 | birthday = 29 | acq = [[2016-17 NLA season|2016]] | birthplace = [[Bülach|Bülach, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Willy | last = Riedl | dab = | num = 8 | pos = W | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1998 | birthmonth = 4 | birthday = 19 | acq = [[2021-22 NL season|2021]] | birthplace = [[Dielsdorf|Dielsdorf, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Vinzenz | last = Rohrer | dab = | num = 9 | pos = C | nat = Austria | s/g = R | birthyear = 2004 | birthmonth =  9| birthday = 9 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Rankweil|Rankweil, Austria]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Jan | last = Schwendeler | dab = | num = 33 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 2003 | birthmonth = 12 | birthday = 9 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Zug, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Justin | last = Sigrist | dab = | num = 13 | pos = C | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1999 | birthmonth = 4 | birthday = 20 | acq = [[2019-20 NL season|2019]] | birthplace = [[Hombrechtikon|Hombrechtikon, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Dario | last = Trutmann | dab = | num = 86 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = R | birthyear = 1992 | birthmonth = 9 | birthday = 17 | acq = [[2019-20 NL season|2019]] | birthplace = [[Zug, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Daniil | last = Ustinkov | dab = | num = 29 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 2006 | birthmonth = 8 | birthday = 26 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Zurich, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Yannick | last = Weber | dab = | num = 6 | pos = D | nat = SUI | s/g = R | birthyear = 1988 | birthmonth = 9 | birthday = 23 | acq = [[2021-22 NL season|2021]] | birthplace = [[Morges|Morges, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Yannick | last = Zehnder | dab = | num = 12 | pos = C | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1997 | birthmonth = 12 | birthday = 29 | acq = [[2023-24 NL season|2023]] | birthplace = [[Zug, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

{{Ice hockey team player
| first = Robin | last = Zumbühl | dab = | num = 40 | pos = G | nat = SUI | s/g = L | birthyear = 1998 | birthmonth = 11 | birthday = 16 | acq = [[2024-25 NL season|2024]] | birthplace = [[Urdorf|Urdorf, Switzerland]] | inj = no | cap = | fa = }}

<!-- end list of players -->
{{table end|Ice hockey team roster}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.zsclions.ch ZSC Lions official website] {{in lang|de}}

{{National League A}}
{{Champions Hockey League}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zsc Lions}}
[[Category:Ice hockey teams in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Sport in Zurich]]
[[Category:1930 establishments in Switzerland]]
[[Category:Swiss Women's League teams]]