History

Geneva’s love affair with ice hockey is over 100 years old. A fact worth celebrating! Servette’s ice hockey section, which was created around 1905-1906, heralded the beginning of organised ice hockey in Geneva. Truth be told, we know from history (albeit with some imprecision) that the people who created this section had already engaged in some activity with the Florissant Hockey Club. Needless to say that Servette’s involvement would bring a solid structure to a section that carried its name – a name that was already prestigious.

1905/1906… Over 100 years ago! It is easy to think of those who launched the movement and those who followed as pioneers, especially since the sport they introduced into a city in the plain was traditionally considered as fit for big mountain resorts only.

Pioneers, because even if ice hockey slowly continued to develop in Geneva (with some highs and lows), it shouldn’t be forgotten that, after this creation in 1905/1906, almost 50 years passed before artificial ice was made available and the city could make a fresh start, on 21 November 1954. This meant not having to depend on the vagaries of a mild or harsh winter and not having to depend on other cities’ ice rinks. Indeed, since natural ice in Florissant or Les Tuileries was nothing but a distant memory, Geneva teams who played ‘at home’ usually had to play visiting teams in Lausanne or Le Pont.

They’re all pioneers: the people who, for 50 years, didn’t give up; those who started it as well as those who followed; those from 1910 as well as those from 1920, from 1930 or 1940. A collective tribute should be paid to them, without naming them, without mentioning one rather than another.

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1905/1906, that’s when Servette’s ice hockey section was established. It was a time for trailblazers, because nothing came easy and you needed a good dose of faith and optimism to forge ahead.

Forge ahead, yes, but in which direction? In 1906, no one knew and it didn’t matter. They ploughed forward until that night on 21 November 1954 when, for the first time in Geneva, an ice hockey match was played on an artificial ice rink.

Truth be told, a private group had been talking for some time about building an artificial ice rink in a new development on Chemin Krieg, where Florissant’s natural ice rink was situated. It was a great project, which thrilled the hearts of ice hockey enthusiasts, but it never saw the light of day.

At that time, the City of Geneva adopted a proposal by Lucien Billy, Administrative Councillor in charge of Sports, and André Blanc, Head of Sports Services, and agreed to the creation of a so-called ‘experimental’ artificial ice rink in what was then the Sports Pavilion (the one on Boulevard Pont d’Arve). ‘Experimental’ because it was meant as a temporary solution until the indoor ice rink in Les Vernets was built.

An important step had been taken. And even if, for three more years, this provisional ice rink had to be disassembled in the spring and rebuilt in the autumn, the impetus had been given – an impetus that would turn the beautiful Patinoire des Vernets into Geneva’s very own temple of ice hockey.

21 November 1954: a milestone. On an ice rink that didn’t totally comply with regulations but that was nevertheless approved exceptionally by the Swiss League in order to facilitate its launch, an inaugural game took place between Servette and UGS. The final score: 7-2. Incidentally, the game almost never took place, as a disaster nearly happened on the night before the inauguration: A fire broke out, which André Blanc, fire extinguisher in hand, brought under control in extremis.

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Once upon a time, there was the Swiss Cup… It was founded at the behest of Mr Walder, the then vice president of the Swiss Ice Hockey Association and donor of the cup's trophy.

The competition was then cancelled to allow greater emphasis on the Championship, the structure of which did not allow for a parallel competition. It’s a shame in a way, since the Cup gave ice hockey a chance to develop and opened opportunities for the National League B teams, as shown by UGS and Servette. Indeed Servette won the Swiss Cup in 1959, with its NLB team, led by the famous Canadian hockey player, Chick Zamick.

What an unforgettable game, the final of the 1958-1959 campaign, in front of a record crowd of 11,820 spectators at their home rink, the Patinoire des Vernets! Supporters were nestled in every nook and cranny, hanging on to whatever they could. There would never be such a massive crowd again, not even for the big World Championship games in 1961. How did they all get in? It remains a mystery. Servette, the underdog, went on to win the game 7-3.

Four years later, at the end of the 1962-1963 campaign, a young Genève HC team was once again in the final at Les Vernets, and once again it was against the Young Sprinters. Genève had defeated Gottéron (NLB, 7-2) and three first-tier National League A teams to get there, Ambrì-Piotta (9-7), Basel (7-2) and Zurich (4-2). The final score was the same, 7-3, but in favour of the Neuchâtel team this time.

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We just saw how and why the merger between the two clubs occurred. The actual merger was officially completed in June 1963, after negotiations that lasted three months and that were the first active manifestations of an idea that had been in the air for a long time.

Genève-Servette HC was born. It was now time to act. First a choice had to be made between the two coaches, Rejda who came from Genève and Pichette from Servette. Rejda’s contract was valid for another two years and had to be honoured so Pichette left, remaining friends with all involved. Friends he would later meet up with again more than once, in Canada and in Switzerland.

The team was put together during a training camp in Villars where 32 players were gathered. Eventually, the core team was formed and the championship began. Genève-Servette was a favourite for its group but stumbled twice and finished with the same total points as Martigny. A play-off match had to be played. President Claude Barbey and treasurer Georges Bourgeois had a good case and Martigny came to Geneva where they lost 4-2. The worst part was over. In the Swiss national final, Genève-Servette met Bienne, the champion of the Eastern group. They won 7-0 in Bienne and 8-1 in the return match in Geneva. It was done. Genève-Servette had gained promotion to the National League A. The merger, completed nine months earlier, had produced the desired effect right away. From the 1964-1965 campaign onwards, Genève-Servette was a NLA team and remained in the top-tier for another 11 campaigns, becoming vice-champion five times and winning the Swiss Cup in 1972 (the last edition after a five-year break for this competition) before beginning a slow descent which, at the end of the 1974-1975 campaign, saw the team drop back into the NLB.

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Let’s now look at a more difficult period, which took some time to get out of. As relegation to the National League B became inevitable, things started to turn sour for Genève-Servette. It wasn’t relegation per se at the end of the 1974-1975 campaign that brought about major changes at the helm of the club. The process had been fixed for some time and it was a known fact, during the campaign already, that two of the original leaders would have to be replaced, namely the president, Claude Barbey, and the treasurer (and administrative vice-president), Georges Bourgeois. Replaced but not banished from the Genève-Servette that they had served so well, as had Félicien Buzzano, Fred Wenger and many others before them, the pioneers and those who had followed in their footsteps.

Nevertheless, it is at the head of a team that had just dropped back down to the NLB and that was finding it hard to make ends meet that Michel Rossetti was appointed, along with a few new board members. The goal of the new board? An immediate return of the first team to the NLA. Efforts were made during the transfer campaign but no one will take offence (we hope at least) if we say that the goal soon appeared beyond the team’s reach.

The team did finish first in the Western qualifying group, which helped maintain a few illusions, but the play-off soon set the record straight. Even if the goal had not been achieved, however, at least the championship had gone smoothly. The future of Genève-Servette was in no way jeopardised.

Yet, although the situation was not jeopardised, the goal (however daring) had not been achieved at the end of this first campaign in the NLB, meaning that the torments of purgatory were far from over. It’s almost commonplace to repeat it: All club leaders know how hard it is to control the consequences of relegation and to address the priorities that enable a return to the NLA. Many a great club that belongs to the wonderful and glorious tradition of Swiss ice hockey has experienced it: Arosa, Lausanne and Davos, to mention but three striking examples, will ease any anxieties.

These difficulties would arise in the following campaigns but it was another problem that blighted the 1976-1977 campaign. A charming and quiet Soviet coach, Ramil Valiulin, was now coaching the team. Unfortunately, he had arrived in Geneva too late and some had already taken their stance, even before the championship had begun, within the team as well as on the outside. If the worst was avoided (the team was for a moment seriously threatened with another relegation) and if the end of the championship thankfully unfolded relatively smoothly, it is thanks to Michel Rossetti’s boards, which resisted promises that weren’t always driven by a desire to serve the club above all else.

Let’s summarise the period that followed relegation to the NLB, a period that began at the end of the 1974-1975 campaign, when Genève-Servette dropped out of the NLA:

1975-1976: Expectations set are beyond the team’s real technical abilities.
1976-1977: A troubled campaign, on the ice as well as in the wings. The worst is feared although serenity eventually prevails thanks to some order being restored. No glamour, no drama, but considered resolutions.
1977-1978: There is hope again, with overall efforts and substantial financial risks being taken. Some glamour returns to the team with a few stars arriving in Geneva, preceded by their excellent reputation. But reputation is one thing and efficiency on the spur of the moment is another and it is soon a bit of a reality check for some. Despite all this, it is quite a good campaign even if the goal of getting back up to the NLA fails miserably. The worst is that this team of disappointing stars is soon cut off from its public. Between that Genève-Servette team and the Geneva public, there is no love lost.

Luckily the board was not disheartened by this new time-out, this overtime that took place at a moment when achieving goals had to be the priority.

Very soon and before the championship was banished to the archives, the board drew a line that it would keep from then on and with which it would take no more liberties. First an option had to be determined, namely building a local backbone for Genève-Servette by calling on the club’s forces systematically and continuously.

First concrete action: calling on Jean-Pierre Kast, head of the juniors’ movement, to coach the first team. With this offer to Jean-Pierre Kast, a former Geneva player, trained in Geneva and a pillar of the first team of Genève and then of Genève-Servette, a deliberate choice had been made. Preference had been given to a certain type of hockey: an attractive style of play that focused on teamwork. The type of game the public in Les Vernets had loved and that it had been robbed of with its previous star-studded National League B team.

By accepting this offer, Jean-Pierre Kast knew what he was getting into. He knew he would have to recruit within the club and that this would bring stability and security. All he needed was time. Eventually, a complete agreement was reached.

The first team of Genève-Servette couldn’t enter into the fray with a Geneva contingent only, that was obvious, but still it went in with its own spirit, the one instilled by its coach, and with the unanimous approval of the board and the strong support of the public.

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After relegation at the end of the 1974-1975 campaign and five more campaigns in the National League B, the club dropped into 1 Liga (the third tier) and went on to go up and down several times over a few years, climbing back into the NLB in 1984-85, 1988-89 and 1990-91. These difficult times are less documented and further information will be provided as soon as possible to complete this chapter.

It is only after the 1994-1995 campaign, after a victory over Luzern in the play-off, that the Geneva hockey players re-established themselves in the NLB. Despite a limited contingent, Genève-Servette had a very good campaign for its return to the NLB. The team qualified for the play-off but were eventually defeated in three matches by Grasshopper, then considered as the group’s major threat. The next campaign was far less glorious. Despite a strengthened team, GSHC never got off the ground. They even fired their coach during the campaign. There was nothing to it and with the structure of the championship changing they finished second to last in the Western group. They then failed to qualify for the play-off, finishing fourth in the second round.

The play-out that followed, in which they were paired with HC Ajoie, were calamitous. The team lost the first game at home, which did not bode well, but the Grenats reacted well, going on to win the next three games. Players celebrated staying in the NLB and everyone left Les Vernets. Unfortunately, no one had expected HC Ajoie to lodge an appeal, which the League accepted and which saw Genève-Servette’s second victory overturned in favour of HC Ajoie. The club urgently called its players back, who were already away skiing. The following match was explosive. Indeed, three minutes from time, Ajoie was leading by three goals to nil when the Eagles suddenly clawed their way back in a final surge. They even went on to win in overtime. This time, Genève-Servette had really saved its skin.

Hoping to avoid any such repeat, club leaders recruited heavily but, because of internal problems, the team never reached its peak and once again had to battle against relegation. Thankfully, Genève-Servette didn’t find it too hard to stay up this time around.

Stuck in a downward spiral, the 1998-1999 campaign was once again calamitous and, this time around, the Grenats only managed to stay up thanks to Martigny and Herisau’s withdrawal. Over the course of these three campaigns, the Geneva team knew no less than four coaches.

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