A new hockey era starts in Zurich as the ZSC Lions inaugurated the new Swiss Life Arena. It will serve as primary venue for the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
photo: Martin Merk
The ZSC Lions Zurich have celebrated a lot of success during their long history in Switzerland’s top-level National League and a Champions Hockey League and Victoria Cup win on the international stage.
One of their trademark characteristics within the Swiss ice hockey community during the past 72 years was that while other teams play at ice arenas, they have been playing at a large multipurpose venue they shared with bike races, horse races, pop stars, comedians and general assemblies of the city’s largest companies. What seemed to be a comparative advantage in the early days when other teams still played outdoor hockey, was the longer the more seen as a disadvantage in the club’s business operations.
After almost 15 years of work in finding a suitable area, planning, navigating through politics and objections, and eventually constructing it, the ZSC Lions Zurich inaugurated this week their brand-new 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena where in a few years from now the pucks will also be dropped at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
“It’s a relieve that we made it. We had respect that something may not work out at the beginning but everything was planned on the second and worked out. The atmosphere was fantastic,” said Peter Zahner. The CEO of the ZSC Lions, who is also a member of the IIHF Competition & Coordination Committee and former chair of the Champions Hockey League, can finally reap what he sowed and had many chats during the first game.
“The people value the work that was done and I’m relieved. We admired other clubs who built arenas, great arenas. A lot has happened concerning infrastructure for ice hockey in Switzerland. We suffered at Hallenstadion due to the occupancy, gastronomy, naming rights, marketing. Now we have our own home, are all under one roof. We see each other, the players are there, the office is here. We have a cool environment.”
Those who took the train from Zurich towards Basel and Berne have already noticed the building for months. It’s next to the railway tracks and a ten-minute walk from the Altstetten station thus easily accessible by public transportation. Now hockey fans got the chance to see it from inside during the Lions’ first league game on Tuesday night.
Instead of the warm-up they saw an inauguration ceremony with a lot of history. Members from past championship teams took the banners to the ice that would later be lifted below the roof. 99-year old Heinz Hinterkircher, a hero from the club’s second championship team in 1949, was the first. Many more followed, mostly heroes from the region, in some cases they also came from far such as former NHL coach Marc Crawford, who led the Zurich team to a championship during his brief stint. And just when fans thought that there’s somebody missing, freshly inducted IIHF Hall of Fame member Mathias Seger hit the ice at last to take the mic. Earlier the three investors addressed the fans hoping that the arena and its environment will be a new meeting pot not only during the games. And eventually Seger did the symbolic face-off together with long-time goalkeeper Ari Sulander before making space for the current Lions roster.
One of their trademark characteristics within the Swiss ice hockey community during the past 72 years was that while other teams play at ice arenas, they have been playing at a large multipurpose venue they shared with bike races, horse races, pop stars, comedians and general assemblies of the city’s largest companies. What seemed to be a comparative advantage in the early days when other teams still played outdoor hockey, was the longer the more seen as a disadvantage in the club’s business operations.
After almost 15 years of work in finding a suitable area, planning, navigating through politics and objections, and eventually constructing it, the ZSC Lions Zurich inaugurated this week their brand-new 12,000-seat Swiss Life Arena where in a few years from now the pucks will also be dropped at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship.
“It’s a relieve that we made it. We had respect that something may not work out at the beginning but everything was planned on the second and worked out. The atmosphere was fantastic,” said Peter Zahner. The CEO of the ZSC Lions, who is also a member of the IIHF Competition & Coordination Committee and former chair of the Champions Hockey League, can finally reap what he sowed and had many chats during the first game.
“The people value the work that was done and I’m relieved. We admired other clubs who built arenas, great arenas. A lot has happened concerning infrastructure for ice hockey in Switzerland. We suffered at Hallenstadion due to the occupancy, gastronomy, naming rights, marketing. Now we have our own home, are all under one roof. We see each other, the players are there, the office is here. We have a cool environment.”
Those who took the train from Zurich towards Basel and Berne have already noticed the building for months. It’s next to the railway tracks and a ten-minute walk from the Altstetten station thus easily accessible by public transportation. Now hockey fans got the chance to see it from inside during the Lions’ first league game on Tuesday night.
Instead of the warm-up they saw an inauguration ceremony with a lot of history. Members from past championship teams took the banners to the ice that would later be lifted below the roof. 99-year old Heinz Hinterkircher, a hero from the club’s second championship team in 1949, was the first. Many more followed, mostly heroes from the region, in some cases they also came from far such as former NHL coach Marc Crawford, who led the Zurich team to a championship during his brief stint. And just when fans thought that there’s somebody missing, freshly inducted IIHF Hall of Fame member Mathias Seger hit the ice at last to take the mic. Earlier the three investors addressed the fans hoping that the arena and its environment will be a new meeting pot not only during the games. And eventually Seger did the symbolic face-off together with long-time goalkeeper Ari Sulander before making space for the current Lions roster.
The atmosphere was different with fans sitting closer to the ice, on steep rather than flat tribunes and the die-hard fans now having a standing area behind the net as in all other venues of the league.
“It is more built for hockey. The fans are where there supposed to be with the hardcore fans behind our net for two periods, which is awesome. It’s a good atmosphere,” said head coach Rikard Gronborg. “It’s a great feeling being behind the bench here. It’s our facility now. Our name is all over the place here. It’s a building built for ice hockey. Everything is at one spot for us, which is huge. We don’t have to change the venue all the time.”
Earlier the club played at Hallenstadion, which was also a World Championship venue in 1953 and 1998, had the practice rink two blocks away and the office across the street from it. Youth teams were split among several rinks in and around the city. Now everything is in the building that also includes a secondary rink.
It took some years longer than expected until the first excavator came to the ground. A reason can be seen just two-and-a-half kilometres further down at Hardturm where the old football stadium was demolished to make space for a new one. It was originally planned to be completed before the Euro 2008. It’s still wasteland in 2022 due to objections and opposition. Where the footballers didn’t succeed, the Zurich’s hockey club did with tactfulness, tenacious work and yes votes at the city’s government, parliament and voters with a grant of CHF 120 million (approx. €122m) for the building that cost CHF 207 million (approx. €211m).
Some fans were sad to leave the north-eastern Oerlikon district after so many decades to move seven kilometres west to the Altstetten district. The tickets for the first game were sold quickly nevertheless. The Lions set a new club record with over 8,000 season tickets sold, up from 7,800 during pre-pandemic times. Fans saw and smelt a brand-new hockey temple with the largest video cube of a European arena almost the dimension of the Edmonton Oilers’.
An important argument for the club for this big investment was the ability to market the arena and generate revenues on its own with gastronomic offerings from the ZSC burger and beer behind the die-hard fans to catering for over 2,000 lounge and skybox seats.
Swiss national team player Denis Hollenstein was the first player to score a goal for the ZSC Lions at its new home. “If one comes out here for the first time and the tribunes are full, it’s great. The people are closer to the rink, it’s different, as we knew it from road trips,” he said.
“We were at the arena before. I went high up; we imagined how it would be when it was full. I had goosebumps at the beginning,” said team captain Patrick Geering.
“It is more built for hockey. The fans are where there supposed to be with the hardcore fans behind our net for two periods, which is awesome. It’s a good atmosphere,” said head coach Rikard Gronborg. “It’s a great feeling being behind the bench here. It’s our facility now. Our name is all over the place here. It’s a building built for ice hockey. Everything is at one spot for us, which is huge. We don’t have to change the venue all the time.”
Earlier the club played at Hallenstadion, which was also a World Championship venue in 1953 and 1998, had the practice rink two blocks away and the office across the street from it. Youth teams were split among several rinks in and around the city. Now everything is in the building that also includes a secondary rink.
It took some years longer than expected until the first excavator came to the ground. A reason can be seen just two-and-a-half kilometres further down at Hardturm where the old football stadium was demolished to make space for a new one. It was originally planned to be completed before the Euro 2008. It’s still wasteland in 2022 due to objections and opposition. Where the footballers didn’t succeed, the Zurich’s hockey club did with tactfulness, tenacious work and yes votes at the city’s government, parliament and voters with a grant of CHF 120 million (approx. €122m) for the building that cost CHF 207 million (approx. €211m).
Some fans were sad to leave the north-eastern Oerlikon district after so many decades to move seven kilometres west to the Altstetten district. The tickets for the first game were sold quickly nevertheless. The Lions set a new club record with over 8,000 season tickets sold, up from 7,800 during pre-pandemic times. Fans saw and smelt a brand-new hockey temple with the largest video cube of a European arena almost the dimension of the Edmonton Oilers’.
An important argument for the club for this big investment was the ability to market the arena and generate revenues on its own with gastronomic offerings from the ZSC burger and beer behind the die-hard fans to catering for over 2,000 lounge and skybox seats.
Swiss national team player Denis Hollenstein was the first player to score a goal for the ZSC Lions at its new home. “If one comes out here for the first time and the tribunes are full, it’s great. The people are closer to the rink, it’s different, as we knew it from road trips,” he said.
“We were at the arena before. I went high up; we imagined how it would be when it was full. I had goosebumps at the beginning,” said team captain Patrick Geering.
Hockey is made for such emotions. We reckon these moments with the fans, even more after the pandemic. It’s a privilege to play hockey in such an arena and to wear the logo on the chest.
The 12,000 fans saw a tight 2-1 victory for their team against Fribourg-Gotteron. Tomorrow they will play their next game against the SCL Tigers Langnau hoping to continue success on and off the ice.
The ZSC Lions Zurich are now not just a hockey club but also an arena owner hoping to lease some office space and get sporting events into the arena. In November when the league stops for the International Break and some of the players will compete with the Swiss national team at the Karjala Tournament in Finland, the Men’s World Floorball Championships will be played at the arena. On 22 November the Lions will have their first international game on their own when they meet Swedish club Skelleftea AIK for the return game of the Round of 16 in the Champions Hockey League. And on 9 February 2023 the Swiss men’s national team will play a game of the Euro Hockey Tour.
Having Fribourg-Gotteron as first opponent was a symbolic coincidence as Zurich and Fribourg will co-host the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. It is scheduled to begin on 15 May 2026 in the two cities with the final puck drop at the gold medal game on 31 May 2026 at Zurich’s new arena.
The ZSC Lions Zurich are now not just a hockey club but also an arena owner hoping to lease some office space and get sporting events into the arena. In November when the league stops for the International Break and some of the players will compete with the Swiss national team at the Karjala Tournament in Finland, the Men’s World Floorball Championships will be played at the arena. On 22 November the Lions will have their first international game on their own when they meet Swedish club Skelleftea AIK for the return game of the Round of 16 in the Champions Hockey League. And on 9 February 2023 the Swiss men’s national team will play a game of the Euro Hockey Tour.
Having Fribourg-Gotteron as first opponent was a symbolic coincidence as Zurich and Fribourg will co-host the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. It is scheduled to begin on 15 May 2026 in the two cities with the final puck drop at the gold medal game on 31 May 2026 at Zurich’s new arena.