Spartiates de Marseille
CityMarseille, France
LeagueLigue Magnus
2023-present
Founded2012[1]
Home arenaPalais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est
Colours     
Owner(s)Éric Lagache[2]
PresidentÉric Lagache[2]
Head coachLuc Tardif Jr.[3]
Websitewww.marseillehockeyclub.com
Franchise history
2012–2013Massilia Hockey Club
2013–2017Massilia Hockey Club
Les Spartiates
2017–present[4]Marseille Hockey Club
Les Spartiates

The Spartiates de Marseille (English: Marseille Spartans), formally known as Marseille Hockey Club, are an ice hockey club based in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.[3] The team plays at Palais omnisports Marseille Grand-Est, which is the country's largest permanent ice rink by capacity.[3] The 2023–24 season will mark their debut at the highest national level, the Ligue Magnus.[5][6]

History

The club was established in April 2012 under the name Massilia Hockey Club —after Marseille's Latin name— to replace the city's historic Hockey Club Phocéen in the French Division 3 (fourth tier) league, when the latter pulled out of competition due to financial problems.[1][3]

Successive promotions

In 2014, France international Luc Tardif Jr. retired from the Ligue Magnus at age 29, following a string of injuries.[7] Having gone through a coaching course during his time away from the ice, Tardif joined Marseille with an eye on a new career behind the bench, although he initially signed on as a player-coach, as the light Division 3 schedule allowed him to continue playing at an acceptable risk for the time being.[8][9]

The club finished the 2014–15 season as Division 3 runner-up and gained promotion to Division 2.[10] However it found it hard to compete at that level, narrowly avoiding relegation back to Division 3 in 2015–16. In reaction, Tardif retired from playing to focus on coaching full time, and the roster received a major overhaul, with most local players weeded out of the team in favor of recruits from more traditional hockey hotbeds.[11]

In 2017, the organization changed its name from Massilia Hockey Club to Marseille Hockey Club.[12] Meanwhile, a separate company was spun off from the amateur club to oversee the professionalization of its flagship team. Tardif was a founding minority shareholder as was his half-brother Jonathan Zwikel, who was also named president of the new entity. The team's main shareholder was Jean-Claude Menn, a Fribourg, Switzerland-based asset manager.[2]

Despite being eliminated by Toulouse-Blagnac in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Division 2 playoffs, Marseille was promoted to Division 1 as the only team willing to step up on short notice when the folding of Ligue Magnus team Gamyo d'Épinal created a domino effect that freed an additional promotion spot.[13][14]

Division 1 champions

Due to COVID-19, the 2020–21 Division 1 season was played under an abridged format, with two regional pools replacing the usual single conference setup, and a final four bringing together the two best teams from each pool in lieu of three-round, best-of-five playoffs.[15]
Marseille finished second in the East pool, before upsetting favorites Nantes and defeating Strasbourg in the final four to claim the Division 1 championship.[16] However, due to the competition's unconventional format, the French Ice Hockey Federation decided not to apply promotions and relegations for the 2020–21 season, forcing the club to compete in Division 1 again for the 2021–22 campaign.[3][16]

At the start of the 2022–23 season, Éric Lagache, chairman of Marseille-based produce importer Kinobé Group, became the Spartiates' new majority shareholder and president, fulfilling the team's search for a well-heeled local investor. Zwikel remained with the organization as managing director.[2][17]

Ligue Magnus

On June 8, 2023, the Spartiates were sanctioned to replace the Scorpions de Mulhouse in the Ligue Magnus. Their application package received a positive evaluation from the French federation's financial control commission, while that of the other candidate, the Corsaires de Nantes, was rejected.[5][6]

Trophies and awards

References

  1. 1 2 Ferrari, Christine; Gaudence, Robert; David, Jean; Foulon, Pascal; Autié, Gérard. "Histoire du hockey sur glace à Marseille". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Entreprise Marseille Hockey Club - MHC à Marseille (13010)". entreprises.lefigaro.fr. Figaro Emploi. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hockey sur glace : coup de projecteur sur ces Marseillais nouveaux champions de France de Division 1". france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr. France TV. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Historique – Marseille". hockeyfrance.com. Fédération Française de Hockey sur Glace. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 Bouhot, Florient (8 June 2023). "Hockey sur glace: les Spartiates de Marseille promus en Ligue Magnus". bfmtv.com (in French). Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Paquereau, Olivier (8 June 2023). "Les Spartiates de Marseille joueront en Ligue Magnus la saison prochaine". lequipe.fr (in French). Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Pas de tournoi de Lyon pour Luc Tardif". ledauphine.com. Groupe EBRA. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Galinat, Arnaud (15 February 2015). "Luc Tardif Jr, le nouvel homme fort du Massilia Hockey Club". Ovnisports. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Revel, Stéphane (5 January 2018). "[Entretien] Luc Tardif Junior : 'Le hockey sur glace français est en pleine progression'". lamarseillaise.fr. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  10. ↑ Lloret, Mathias (23 April 2015). "Luc Tardif : 'Je n'ai jamais connu un groupe aussi soudé'". laprovence.com. Groupe La Provence. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Présentation de la D2 française 2016/17". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. November 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  12. ↑ "Annonce n° 210". Annexe au journal officiel de la République Française. Vol. 149, no. 5. Paris: Direction de l'information légale et administrative. 4 February 2017. p. 17.
  13. ↑ Branchu, Marc (October 2018). "Présentation de la D1 française 2018/19: Marseille". hockeyarchives.info. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  14. ↑ "Le club de hockey marseillais s'invite en Division 1 dès la saison prochaine". madeinmarseille.net. Com in Marseille. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  15. ↑ Launay, Frédéric (19 January 2021). "Hockey sur glace : la Division 1 et les Remparts de retour à partir du 30 janvier". lanouvellerepublique.fr. Groupe NRCO. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Championnat de France 2020/21 : division 1". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  17. ↑ Branchu, Marc (20 October 2022). "Présentation de la D1 française 2022/23: Marseille". hockeyarchives.info. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
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