- Swiss Life Arena under construction in 2020
- The arena's “cauldron” shortly before opening (October 2022)
- Venue of the 2022 Men's World Floorball Championships.
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Location | Altstetten, Zürich, Switzerland |
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Coordinates | 47°23′43.33″N8°28′48.11″E / 47.3953694°N 8.4800306°E |
Capacity | 12,000 |
Construction | |
Broke ground | March 2019 |
Opened | 18 October 2022 (first ice hockey game) 19 November 2022 (official inauguration) |
Construction cost | CHF 169 million |
Architect | Caruso St John |
Project manager | Michael Schneider |
Tenants | |
ZSC Lions (NL) (2022-present) |
The Swiss Life Arena is an ice hockey and entertainment arena in Altstetten, Zurich, Switzerland. It is located approximately 7 kilometers west of Downtown Zurich. The arena officially opened in October 2022. [1] [2]
The arena currently serves as the home for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL) and seats up to 12,000 spectators for hockey games.
Starting in the 2022/2023 season, the Swiss Life Arena became be the new arena of the ZSC Lions’ national league A-team, which will play as many as 40 national and international matches there every year. The arena will also host games of GCK/ZSC Lions young talent.
The Swiss Life Arena is planned as a multifunctional event space and is to enjoy modern infrastructure. With its steeply graded seating and compact construction, the arena will be a “cauldron”, with a focus on sports and corporate events.
Swiss Life, a Swiss provider of pension and financial solutions, will lend its name to the arena. [3] The former Swisslife Arena in Lucerne has been operating under the name "Eiszentrum Luzern" since 2014. [4] The name sponsorship with Swiss Life expired at the end of 2012. [5]
The estimated cost for the Swiss Life Arena is about CHF 169 million. The funding is as follows : CHF 30 million from equity, CHF 19 million from third parties and the remaining CHF 120 million come as a loan from the city of Zurich. [6] The ZSC Lions will also receive, along with operating income, an urban operating contribution of CHF 2 million per year. Profits will mostly be used for amortization and strengthening of equity.
The ZSC Lions played their inaugural game at Swiss Life Arena during the regular season against HC Fribourg-Gottéron on October 18, 2022. The home team won the game, 2–1, in a sold out arena.
The venue will host matches for the 2028 European Men's Handball Championship. In 2026, Switzerland will host the 2026 IIHF World Championship with Zurich's Swiss Life Arena as the main venue.
Lucerne ; High Alemannic: Lozärn) or Luzern ) is a city in central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the district of the same name. With a population of approximately 82,000 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and a nexus of economics, transportation, culture, and media in the region. The city's urban area consists of 19 municipalities and towns with an overall population of about 220,000 people.
The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league had an average of 6,949 spectators per game which is the highest among European leagues. The capital city's club SC Bern has been ranked first of all European clubs for 18 seasons and had an average attendance of 16,290 after the regular season. The ZSC Lions are another club in the top ten of European ice hockey attendance, ranking seventh with 9,694 spectators.
The Zürcher Schlittschuh Club Lions are a professional ice hockey team located in Zürich, Switzerland, playing in the 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.
The Hallenstadion is a multi-purpose facility located in the quarter of Oerlikon in northern Zürich. It was home to the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL) and has a capacity of 11,200 spectators. Designed by Bruno Giacometti, it opened on November 4, 1939, and was renovated in 2004–05.
Centre intercommunal de glace de Malley was an indoor arena located in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was primarily used for ice hockey, and was the home arena of the HC Lausanne from 1984 to 2017. It was demolished in April 2017 to be replaced by the Vaudoise Aréna which opened in September 2019. A temporary ice rink, Malley 2.0, was opened during the interim and is one of the venues for the 2020 Winter Youth Olympics.
The Swiss Life Group is the largest life insurance company of Switzerland and one of Europe’s leading comprehensive life and pensions and financial services providers, with approximately CHF 276.3 bn of assets under management. Founded in 1857 in Zurich as the Schweizerische Lebensversicherungs und Rentenanstalt cooperative, the company entered the Swiss stock market in 1997 and adopted its current name in 2002. In 2022 the group declared an adjusted profit from operations of CHF 2.06 billion, a 17% decrease compared to the previous year. Net profit increased by 16% to CHF 1.46 billion. Swiss Life is one of the twenty companies listed under the Swiss Market Index, as SLHN.
Kevin R. Klein is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the second round, 37th overall, by the Nashville Predators at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. He completed his 15 year career playing two seasons as an alternate captain of the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL).
Grasshopper Club Küsnacht Lions known as GCK Lions is a Swiss professional ice hockey team founded in 1932. They are currently playing in the Swiss League (SL), Switzerland's second tier ice hockey division, as the affiliate to the ZSC Lions.
Roman Wick is a Swiss former professional ice hockey player. Wick played for EHC Kloten and ZSC Lions in the National League (NL) and for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Senators who signed him to a one-year contract in 2010.
Andres Ambühl is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward who currently serves as captain of HC Davos of the National League (NL). He has won six Swiss NL championships, two Spengler Cups with HC Davos, and a silver medal with Switzerland at the 2013 World Championship. Ambühl also represented Switzerland at the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics. He holds the records for the most top-division appearances (18) and top-division games played (131) in World Championship history.
Severin Blindenbacher is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenceman who last played with as an alternate captain for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). He had also played for EHC Kloten of the NL and Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Mathias Seger is a Swiss former professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL). Seger began his professional career with SC Rapperswil-Jona in 1996. He played three seasons with Rapperswil-Jona before joining the Lions in 1999. With the Swiss men's national team he won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships. Seger also won the 2009 Champions League as well as six National League titles, all with the ZSC Lions. He was inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame in 2020.
Inti Pestoni is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing with HC Ambrì-Piotta of the National League (NL).
Luca Cunti is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for EHC Biel in the National League (NL). He previously played for the SCL Tigers, the ZSC Lions, EHC Kloten and HC Lugano. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 3rd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Simon Bodenmann is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the ZSC Lions of the National League (NL).
Hans Kossmann is a Canadian-Swiss professional ice hockey coach.
Pius Suter is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
Fabrice Herzog is a Swiss professional ice hockey forward currently playing for EV Zug in the National League (NL). He was drafted 142nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
The 2017–18 National League season is the 80th season of Swiss professional ice hockey and the first season as the National League (NL). The change from National League A to National League was made at the end of the 2016–17 season.
Tim Berni is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenseman who is currently playing with the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Blue Jackets in the sixth-round, 159th overall, of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Media related to Swiss Life Arena at Wikimedia Commons