Tickets on sale:
You can buy ticket for the home game against Zurich through sales network Ticketportal or in the customers service in Tipsport arena and O2 areně and at the cashdesks before the game.
A successful team in a city of wealth and sports
Zurich is ranked among the richest cities in the world and can be called a centre of international sports. The largest city in Switzerland is the seat of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and its soccer conterpart, FIFA. In addition, Weltklasse, a big track meet which is one of the stops of the Diamond League, is held there each year.
Local sports fans often attend home games of the ZSC Lions, who face Sparta in the CHL 1/16 Finals. The Zurich club was founded in 1930 and is among the most successful Swiss clubs. The Lions have won eight league titles in their history and have been very successful in the international arena as well.
In 2009 they won the IIHF Champions League and have also twice won the IIHF Continental Cup (2001, 2002). The Swiss club has two Spengler Cup titles, which it won during war years between 1944 and 1945. Its last league title was won in the 2013/1014 season, and last season finished first place in the NLA regular season before losing in the playoff finals.
Did you know that...
... a total of six Czech hockey players have played in Zurich and two of them played as in Sparta as well. In the 1993/1994 season Tomáš Jelínek played in Switzerland and 12 years later Vladimír Vůjtek, who won the Czech league title in 2000 with Sparta, was there as well.
... Zurich forward Patrick Bärtschi will be facing one of his former teams, albeit briefly. He played four games for Sparta at the Spengler Cup 11 years ago, but didn´t record any points.
The young future of NHL, Stanley Cup and Gagarin Cup winners
This Zurich squad offers many interesting faces, but during the summer the greatest sensation was caused by the arrival of the American forward AUSTON MATTHEWS. The U17 World champion and two-time U18 World champion is currently the top-ranked prospect for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, but he has chosen an unusual path. Instead of playing in a major junior or collegiate league in North America, he has decided to play his last pre-draft year in Europe.
Amongst the main pillars of the Zurich defence is Canadian MARC-ANDRÉ BERGERON. The 41-year-old has played 490 games in the NHL and is now starting his third season with the ZSC Lions. In his two previous years, playing 92 regular-season games, the Canadian rearguard collected 53 points. He added another 27 games and 14 points in the playoffs. In his first season with the club, in 2013/2014, he helped Zurich to its eighth championship title.
Another experienced defenceman on the team is 37-year-old MATHIAS SEGER, who is a club legend. He has worn a Lions jersey continuously since the 1999/2000 season, helping the team to five titles in the process. He has been the team captain since 2006. Seger has also played for the Swiss national team at 16 World Championships and four Olympic Games. At the Worlds in 2013, Seger was the captain of the sensational Swiss team that won the silver medal.
The team´s offence is led by Swedish forward ROBERT NILSSON. The son of the legend Kent Nilsson was born in Calgary, but has played in Sweden since his childhood and has also played for the Swedish national team. Nilsson has played in 252 NHL games, but his greatest success has come in Europe. In 2011, Nilsson won the Gagarin Cup as KHL champion as a member of Salavat Yulaev Ufa, and then won a silver medal with Tre Kronor at the World Championship.
Zurich also has a player who has won the Stanley Cup. 32-year-old American forward RYAN SHANNON had played 305 games in the NHL and in his first season, he became a Stanley Cup champion in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks. Shannon was able to collect a total of 99 points between 2009 and 2011 for the U.S. national team at the World Championships. At the World Championship in Bratislava he was also selected among the three best players of his team.
Zurich is one class higher than Geneva, coach Josef Jandač warns
Sparta’s coach Josef Jandač is satisfied with the group stage of the Champions Hockey League, as his team met its first goal by reaching the playoff stage. The first obstacle – the ZSC Lions. "In the long term they have been one of the best teams in the Swiss league," the Sparta coach observed.
Sparta has a wealth of experience with Swiss hockey. They met Geneve-Servette in the group stage – losing once in overtime before winning a big game at O2 Arena to secure a spot in the next round. "I think Zurich is still one class higher than Geneva. They have excellent foreign players with NHL experience." Jandač pointed out, and also made note of Auston Matthews.
The Zurich has many other intersting names as well. "They have about five or six Canadians, one Norwegian and two Swedes. I consider them to be a strong team," he said in respect to the strength of the opponent. The experienced coach realizes that his team will face a very strong opponent, who finished first in the NLA regular season and advanced to the finals in the last season. "This is an interesting, attractive and very strong opponent."
He slightly regrets that his team didn´t finish first in its group and make it into the first draw basket. If this was the case, Sparta could have been drawn with an opponent closer to Prague. "We were in the second performance basket. If we had been in the first, we could have faced teams like Munich, Berlin, Salzburg or Vienna, which are closer for travelling. But Zurich isn´t so far away either," he concluded.
