Ligue Magnus is the top professional ice hockey league in France, known for its rich history and competitive play.
Ligue Magnus is the top professional ice hockey league in France, known for its rich history and competitive play.
We'll start out this guide by looking at Ligue Magnus from a high level.
Maybe you already know a bit on the league (or French hockey) in general.
By the end reading this, you'll know quite a bit more on France's top league.
Ligue Magnus, founded in 1906, is France’s premier ice hockey league. With teams across the country, the league continues to thrive with rosters built around the top French players alongside top imports.
Ligue Magnus is the highest level of ice hockey in all of France.
The league was initially founded over 100 years ago back in 1906 and has held the name, Ligue Magnus, since 2004.
France isn't often thought of by most as a hockey powerhouse, but the level of hockey in the top French leagues here and in France2 has continued to gain strength in recent years (more on this later).
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Ligue Magnus is a quality hockey league with skilled players throughout.
Based on their IIHF rankings, the top teams here have participated in Champion's Hockey League annually which helps show the strength of Ligue Magnus teams versus top clubs from other elite tiers across Europe.
The level of hockey in Magnus continues to get stronger each passing season. A majority of top French players combined with several high quality imports on each roster are how most clubs are composed depth wise.
Environment wise, arenas here can be quite exciting and many clubs have solid local/sponsor support.
We can certainly attest to this based on numerous games we've attended and scouted in France over the years.
French fans throughout Ligue Magnus love their hockey and show that in their support on game nights. They'll bring horns, drums, and chant with fellow supporters throughout what seems like entire games at times.
This can make the arenas quite loud and motivating for players on the ice....
Away from the rink, France is a premier destination for local and import players alike.
The country offers a variety of climates and regional traditions depending on the area you're based. For example, you have clubs that sit more near the water, numerous clubs the are based in beautiful cities centrally, and some closer to the French Alps in the mountains.
France is centrally located in Europe as well which makes it easy to travel elsewhere whether it's to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, or Switzerland.
Regarding getting adjusted to the culture, language is the biggest one with French being the dominant language. If you genuinely try to learn and speak a bit of French, most people here are happy to also speak in English with you (if you're respectful) if you don't just assume they will.
In all, it's a beautiful country all around!
We mentioned this earlier, but Ligue Magnus is one of the oldest running leagues in Europe based on it's formation in 1906.
With only a few clubs way back then, the game was thought of more as an elite social type of activity, with many games being played outdoors. Over the decades though, that slowly morphed into a more proper league.
