French-speaking fans have been spoiled in recent years. Genève-Servette and Bienne competed for the title of Swiss champion in 2023. Lausanne was only sixty minutes away from imitating its neighbor Lake Geneva in 2024. In the Swiss League, the inhabitants of La Chaux-de-Fonds vibrated two consecutive years thanks to the triumphs of the Bees.
My wish for 2025 is that this French-speaking supremacy persists in the 2nd division. For this, nothing better than a play-off final between HC La Chaux-de-Fonds and HC Sierre. Such a poster would be interesting in more than one way.
With different projects, both the Neuchâtelois and the Valaisans are aiming for the National League in the medium term in a new ice rink. A final between the two teams would in some way be the first round of a classic destined to be repeated in the quest for the elite.
It would also be a remote duel between two friends: Chris McSorley (majority shareholder of HC Sierre) and Louis Matte (HCC coach). The two men worked together for a long time at Genève-Servette before their paths separated in 2020. Seeing them fight for a title would be a great story.
However, the most important thing is elsewhere. This clash would place the Swiss League in the spotlight for two weeks. This league needs a final between two rival clubs in full rinks where the atmosphere would be boiling. It’s even a little more dreamy than the clash between the HCC and the GCK Lions in 2024.
But hey, this is certainly wishful thinking because currently, only one team seems equipped for a long run in the play-off: La Chaux-de-Fonds.
