Fribourg-Gotteron have played since 1980 in Switzerland's top league, but they're still waiting for their first national championship. Nevertheless the meaning of this club for the people in the region of Fribourg and the regional identification is still incredibly high.

by Alain Hauert

When the final horn ended the game at the open-air ice arena les Augustins in Fribourg's Old Town, the fans immediately flooded the ice on that 4th of March 1980. Gotteron had just beaten Zurich 6–0 to assure their promotion into the National League A. The team was formed mainly by young players from the city and the region and was not expected to beat the much higher rated team from Zurich. It was a success based on hard working players (the copains) who sacrificed everything one for another, big support from the fans and last but not least the holy spirit of Gotteron.

The club was founded in 1937 and played their first games on the fish ponds at the edge of the Gotteron Valley. This place is considered mystical and the legend even tells of a dragon living there – a creature that can be heard especially in winter time when the wind blows through the valley.   

Legends and some magic – on and off the ice

The legend of the dragon has also marked the club, as he was present on the players jerseys and the players even enter the ice through his mouth – spitting fire and smoke – before home games. But to the people of Fribourg, the club itself is legendary.

One of the players from the team of 1980, Jakob Luedi, stated in a recent interview that “Fribourg has three big monuments: the cathedral, the mountain (Moleson) and Gotteron.” It is a kind of a cultural heritage for a lot of people in this city, located on the border of the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. Sometimes it seems to have something magical, when sport can make these two cultures come together even if they are often so different.

Magic is another word which describes best the years when Fribourg-Gotteron was on top of the league in the 1990s. Shortly before the beginning of the 1990 World Championships, which Switzerland was hosting, club president Jean Martinet signed two of the best forwards in the world – and surely the best duo that had ever played in Switzerland – Vyacheslav Bykov and Andrei Khomutov. The two Russians came to Fribourg the following season and impressed the whole country with their incredible talent during their time in the league. 

Today Bykov’s son Andrei, named after his linemate and friend Khomutov, also plays for Fribourg-Gotteron. 

In the years to follow, the team's results have often resembled a rollercoaster. After a period during which the Dragons missed the playoffs several years in a row, the team gave its fans a rare treat, such as the quarter-final victory in 2008 over top-seeded SC Bern after finishing 8th in the regular season. Unfortunately, the Dragons were unable to reproduce this in the 2013 finals when they lost in six games to the same opponent, marking the fifth time the team finished runner-up after 1983, 1992, 1993 and 1994.

Since that time, Fribourg-Gotteron are still trying to find their way back to the top. 

Team facts

CHL seasons

2015-16: 3rd in Group K
2014-15: 1st in Group D, Round of 16

Click here for current information about the club.

NOTE: This article has been updated since its original publication.