Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc
 | |
| Nickname(s) | Pionniers |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2016 |
| Arena | Richard Bozon Ice Rink |
| League |
Ligue Magnus 2016–Present |
| Website | Les Pionniers |
main
The Pionniers de Chamonix Mont-Blanc (French for Chamonix Mont-Blanc Pioneers) are a French ice hockey team based in Chamonix, Haute-Savoie. They play in the country's top tier, the Ligue Magnus. For their inaugural 2016–17 season, they were known as Pionniers de Chamonix-Morzine.
History
Origins
In 2016, France's Ligue Magnus adopted an expanded schedule and cut its number of teams from 14 to 12. The league's two Haute-Savoie clubs, the Chamois de Chamonix and the Pingouins de Morzine-Avoriaz, decided to merge their respective professional teams in order to better face the economic and competitive challenges presented by the new setup. The result of that fusion was a joint team called the Pionniers,[1] splitting its home games between Chamonix and Morzine-Avoriaz.[2] The amateur sections remained separate and retained the Chamois and Pingouins names.[3]
While both towns are located within the same department, they are not particularly close, with Chamonix nested in the Mont Blanc massif and Morzine-Avoriaz part of the Chablais region. Following negotiations between the two municipalities, it was agreed that Chamonix would be the united team's training base for its inaugural season,[4] as well as the owner of its league franchise.[5]
2016-17 season
The precarious balance between the two organizations was quickly challenged when the new Pionniers limped out of the gate to a dismal record.[6] Mid-February 2017, head coach Stéphane Gros was dismissed as the team was dead last in the standings. The move was not unexpected from a sporting standpoint, but it further aggravated the Morzine-Avoriaz side as Gros had career ties to both clubs, while his replacement Christophe Ville was viewed as purely a Chamonix man.[7][8] The Pioneers still finished the season in last place and Morzine-Avoriaz renounced the partnership after a single season.[5]
Aftermath
As the fusion agreement was more protective of Chamonix's interests, Morzine-Avoriaz suffered the most damaging fallout.[5] Chamonix kept the organization's trademarks and visual identity, and most importantly its position in the French hockey rankings.[5] While their twelfth-place finish should have sent them to the lower division, they ended up being saved from relegation by the withdrawal of Dijon from the Ligue Magnus.[9]
Morzine-Avoriaz on the other hand returned to its previous identity, the Penguins, and had to start all over at the country's fourth level, the Division 3, in 2017–18.[5]
References
- ↑ "Chamonix / Morzine : tout savoir sur les Pionniers du hockey". Groupe Rossel-La Voix. 19 July 2016. https://www.lessorsavoyard.fr/art/faucigny/chamonix-morzine-tout-savoir-sur-les-pionniers-du-hockey-ia933b937n165936.
- ↑ Alapetite, Alexis. "Création d’une nouvelle équipe avec la fusion de Morzine et de Chamonix", parlonssports.fr, 2016-04-13. (fr-FR)
- ↑ "U11: Tournoi Megève Tiers de glace". Megève Hockey Club. 30 September 2018. https://megevehockeyclub.fr/matchs/apercu/22/20180930-tournoi-megeve-tiers-de-glace. "Pingouins, [...] chamois [...] ont bien compris qu'il faut maintenant compter sur les Boucs de Megeve..."
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Théveniau, Yves (24 October 2017). "Comme on se retrouve…". Groupe EBRA. https://www.ledauphine.com/sport/2017/10/24/comme-on-se-retrouve.
- ↑ "Hockey sur glace: les Pionniers de Chamonix Morzine lancent leur contre-offensive". France TV. 19 July 2016. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/haute-savoie/hockey-glace-operation-derniere-chance-pionniers-chamonix-morzine-1127577.html.
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Juillet, Alexandre (17 February 2017). "Hockey sur glace - LM : Stéphane Gros n’est plus entraineur des Pionniers.". Média Sports Loisirs. http://www.hockeyhebdo.com/news-lm---stephane-gros-n-est-plus-entraineur-des-pionniers-,22665.html.
- ↑ "Ligue Magnus: les hockeyeurs niçois doivent maintenir le cap". Groupe Nice Matin. 26 September 2017. https://www.nicematin.com/hockey/ligue-magnus-les-hockeyeurs-nicois-doivent-maintenir-le-cap-169527.
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