Double goal scorer and match winner Sven Andrighetto (center) celebrates
Image: Keystone
ZSC captain Patrick Geering holds the winner's trophy
Image: Keystone
The team photo of the 2025 Champions League winners
Image: Keystone
Seven weeks after his internal promotion, head coach Marco Bayer wins his first title with the ZSC
Image: Keystone
Sven Andrighetto, MVP of the 2024-25 Champions League campaign
Image: Keystone
ZSC goalie Simon Hrubec presents the winner's trophy to the fans
Image: Keystone
The Zurich Limmatblock celebrates Denis Malgin
Image: Keystone
Double goal scorer and match winner Sven Andrighetto (center) celebrates
Image: Keystone
ZSC captain Patrick Geering holds the winner's trophy
Image: Keystone
The team photo of the 2025 Champions League winners
Image: Keystone
Seven weeks after his internal promotion, head coach Marco Bayer wins his first title with the ZSC
Image: Keystone
Sven Andrighetto, MVP of the 2024-25 Champions League campaign
Image: Keystone
ZSC goalie Simon Hrubec presents the winner's trophy to the fans
Image: Keystone
The Zurich Limmatblock celebrates Denis Malgin
Image: Keystone
Olé ZSC! The Lions celebrate a great success with their triumph in the Champions Hockey League. The joy is huge, but the celebrations are not. Above all is the mission of defending the title.
19.02.2025, 02:12
19.02.2025, 06:55
SDA
"We are the kings of Europe!" shouts the stadium announcer into the microphone shortly after the ZSC Lions' 2:1 victory in the Champions Hockey League final against top Swedish team Färjestad. "European champions, European champions", chant the die-hard fans in the Limmat Block, while the players embrace each other on the ice.
However, there are no victory celebrations in Zurich like there were a year ago in Geneva, when the Servette players partied all night and, at the behest of the top, the next day as well.
Instead of the winning beer, the ZSC players are given bottles of water at the end of the game. Then the big moment: accompanied by golden tinsel rain, captain Patrick Geering lifts the winner's trophy through a line of his teammates to a standing ovation in the sold-out arena with 12,000 spectators.
Focus on the next game
However, unlike last spring's exuberant championship celebrations, this time there was no collective rejoicing. The ZSC fans are not allowed to storm onto the ice to see their favorites. The next home game is already scheduled for Sunday against the SCL Tigers.
That's also on the players' minds. "Of course, this title means a lot to us. We've now achieved one of our two goals for the season. We can be correspondingly happy," says veteran Patrick Geering, who was already there in 2009 when ZSC sensationally won the Champions League in exile in Rapperswil and made history again just over five weeks later in the domestic championship by becoming the first ever defending champions to be eliminated with a 4-0 loss in the playoff quarter-final series against Fribourg-Gottéron.
Asked about any festivities, Geering said: "We're clever and experienced enough to know what we're allowed to do today. But we've already earned a beer or two with the fans."
Bayer pays tribute to his predecessor
The evening was also special for Marco Bayer, who won his first trophy with the ZSC Lions just seven weeks after being appointed head coach. He was "overjoyed that we were able to bring the title to Zurich for our fans, for the organization, but also for the boys."
At the moment of success, Bayer also thought of his predecessor Marc Crawford, who stepped down shortly after Christmas for health reasons. "This is largely thanks to him. He was head coach until December 28. I was allowed to take over in a comfortable starting position. Big respect to Marc."
Bayer hopes the triumph in the European Cup will give him a "boost" for the upcoming final spurt of the season. "It gives you confidence and power." But first the batteries have to be recharged after the energy-sapping final. "We want to celebrate, that's part of it when you win a title like this. But it's not like when you become champions."
The players will have Wednesday and Thursday off before the away game in Zug on Saturday. The Lions will play five games until the end of the qualifiers the following Saturday. For Bayer, the directive is clear: "We want to try and get first place so that we have a good starting position for the playoffs."
Andrighetto the big figure
Bayer singled out one of his players in particular in his analysis of the final - and for good reason. "Sven Andrighetto played an incredible match." The "Züribueb" was the big figure with his two goals. His performance was the crowning glory of an extraordinary European Cup campaign. As a ten-time goalscorer, he was not only the top scorer, he was also the first Swiss ever to be honored with the MVP award.
Nevertheless, Andrighetto did not want to take center stage: "This individual trophy is also a team trophy. It shows how good we are as a team." The two-time World Championship silver medalist was long regarded as a great player without a title. Now, after winning the Swiss championship a year ago, he has already been able to lift his second trophy in the new ZSC Stadium. "We're filling this arena with life, and that's nice," says Andrighetto. "We all know the next goal, and that's what we're working towards now."
