The Ligue Magnus, currently known as Synerglace Ligue Magnus for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's division of the French ice hockey pyramid, established in 1906. The league operated under a variety of names before taking that of its championship trophy, the Magnus Cup, in 2004. The trophy was in turn named for Frenchman and IIHF founder Louis Magnus.
Teams from the Ligue Magnus can participate in the IIHF's annual Champions Hockey League (CHL), competing for the European Trophy. Participation is based on the strength of the various leagues in Europe (excluding the Eurasian Kontinental Hockey League). Going into the 2022–23 CHL season, the Ligue Magnus was ranked the No. 9 league in Europe, allowing them to send their top team to compete in the CHL.
Format 12 teams play a 44-game regular season. The schedule is fully balanced and there are no geographic conferences. Regulation wins are worth 3 points, as per international rules. 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 10 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.
Outdoor games On 22 December 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 30 December 2016, when Lyon hosted Grenoble at Parc OL, the home field of seven-time Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyonnais. The event drew a record 25,182 attendance.
Title sponsors In 2016, the league signed its first naming rights deal with Saxoprint, the online printing subsidiary of German conglomerate Cewe, and became known as Saxoprint Ligue Magnus for the following two seasons. In 2018, mobile ice rink supplier Synerglace became the series' new title sponsor.
Media Television Since the 2020–21 season, select regular season and playoff games have aired on free cable and broadband television channel Sport en France. Starting with the 2024–25 campaign, another package of games has been made available in their local markets through affiliates of the free, over-the-air BFM Régions network (today BFM Locales).
Internet streaming From the 2016–17 season, all of the league's games have been accessible via live internet streaming. Originally broadcast through a third-party platform, they moved in 2024 to a proprietary subscription service, Magnus.TV, managed by Swedish company Sportway Media Group on behalf of the French federation. Starting in the 2025–26 season, select games are also being shown for free on the YouTube and Twitch channels of RMC Sport, which belongs to the same group as BFM Locales.
Video game Hockey Dangles '16: Saxoprint Magnus Edition, an arcade-style mobile video game based on the league, was released for Android and iOS devices in September 2016.
2025/26 teams
Team City Arena FoundedGothiques Amiens Coliséum 1967Ducs Angers IceParc 1982Hormadi Anglet Patinoire de la Barre 1969Boxers Bordeaux Patinoire de Mériadeck 1999Diables Rouges Briançon Patinoire René Froger 1934Jokers Cergy-Pontoise Aren'Ice 1981Pionniers Chamonix Centre Sportif Richard Bozon 2016Rapaces Gap Alp'Arena 1937Brûleurs de Loups Grenoble Patinoire Pole Sud 1963SpartiatesMarseillePalais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est 2012Aigles Nice Patinoire Jean Bouin 1969Dragons Rouen Patinoire de l'Île Lacroix 1982
Former teams
Albatros de Brest Chamois de Chamonix Corsaires de Dunkerque Drakkars de Caen Ducs de Dijon Jets de Viry-Essonne Ours de Villard-de-Lans Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz Sangliers Arvernes de Clermont-Ferrand Scorpions de Mulhouse Avalanche du Mont-Blanc
Defunct teams Diables Noirs de Tours Flammes Bleues de Reims LHC Les Lions Mulhouse Scorpions Séquanes de Besançon
Previous winners
1907 : SC Lyon 1908 : Patineurs de Paris 1912 : Patineurs de Paris 1913 : Patineurs de Paris 1914 : Patineurs de Paris 1915 to 1919 : Not held due to World War I 1920 : Ice Skating Club de Paris 1921 : Sports d'Hiver de Paris 1922 : Sports d'Hiver de Paris 1923 : Chamonix 1925 : Chamonix 1926 : Chamonix 1927 : Chamonix 1929 : Chamonix 1930 : Chamonix 1931 : Chamonix 1932 : Stade Français Paris 1933 : Stade Français Paris 1934 : Rapides de Paris 1935 : Stade Français Paris 1936 : Français Volants Paris 1937 : Français Volants Paris 1938 : Français Volants Paris 1939 : Chamonix 1941 : The final between Briançon and Paris Université Clubwas not held due to World War II 1942 : Chamonix 1944 : Chamonix 1946 : Chamonix 1949 : Chamonix 1950 : Racing Club de Paris 1951 : Racing Club de Paris1952 : Chamonix 1953 : Paris Université Club 1954 : Chamonix 1955 : Chamonix 1956 : CP Lyon 1957 : AC Boulogne-Billancourt 1958 : Chamonix 1959 : Chamonix 1960 : AC Boulogne-Billancourt 1961 : Chamonix 1962 : AC Boulogne-Billancourt 1963 : Chamonix 1964 : Chamonix 1965 : Chamonix 1966 : Chamonix 1967 : Chamonix 1968 : Chamonix 1969 : Saint-Gervais 1970 : Chamonix 1971 : Chamonix 1972 : Chamonix 1973 : Chamonix 1974 : Saint-Gervais 1975 : Saint-Gervais 1976 : Chamonix 1977 : Gap 1978 : Gap 1979 : Chamonix 1980 : ASG Tours1981 : CSG Grenoble 1982 : CSG Grenoble 1983 : Saint-Gervais 1984 : Megève 1985 : Saint-Gervais 1986 : Saint-Gervais 1987 : Mont-Blanc 1988 : Mont-Blanc 1989 : Français Volants Paris 1990 : Rouen 1991 : CSG Grenoble 1992 : Rouen 1993 : Rouen 1994 : Rouen 1995 : Rouen 1996 : Brest 1997 : Brest 1998 : Grenoble 1999 : Amiens Somme 2000 : Reims HC 2001 : Rouen 2002 : Reims HC 2003 : Rouen 2004 : Amiens Somme 2005 : Hockey Club de Mulhouse 2006 : Rouen 2007 : Grenoble 2008 : Rouen 2009 : Grenoble2010 : Rouen 2011 : Rouen 2012 : Rouen 2013 : Rouen 2014 : Briançon 2015 : Gap 2016 : Rouen 2017 : Gap 2018 : Rouen 2019 : Grenoble 2020 : not awarded 2021 : Rouen 2022 : Grenoble 2023 : Rouen 2024 : Rouen 2025 : Grenoble 2026 : Bordeaux
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) 18 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024 3 Grenoble (earlier known as CSG Grenoble) 9 1981, 1982, 1991, 1998, 2007, 2009, 2019, 2022, 2025 4 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 5 Saint-Gervais 6 1969, 1974, 1975, 1983, 1985, 1986 6 Français Volants Paris 4 1936, 1937, 1938, 1989 7 Gap 4 1977, 1978, 2015, 2017 8 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 French player) Marcel Claret Trophy (most sportsmanlike team) Raymond Dewas Trophy (most sportsmanlike player) Jean-Pierre Graff Trophy (most promising player) Jean Ferrand Trophy (most valuable goaltender) Camil Gélinas Trophy (coach of the year)
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.
Notes
References
External links French Ice Hockey Federation Ligue Magnus AJPH (players' association) Results