Les Diables Rouges de Briançon climbed from the French 3rd division to national champions in just 12 years. In 2014 they rewarded their hockey-crazy fanbase with the Magnus Cup, and now they're bringing the Champions Hockey League to their Alpine town.

by Mag Centogambe

The love story between ice hockey and the city of Briançon began in 1934 when the team went by the name of l'étoile sportive briançonnaise. The team played on a natural ice rink called La Chaumière until 1968, when La Patinoire René Froger was built. Ten years later it was covered and heated.

In 1975, the team's name changed to Le Hockey Club Briançonnais until 1990, when it took the name that we know today: Les Diables Rouges de Briançon. Although Briançon is a small city with a population of around 12,000 year-round inhabitants, Les Diables Rouges (the Red Devils) can count on a solid fan base made up of locals and tourists who frequent Serre Chevalier Valley. To celebrate its 80th anniversary, the team rewarded itself and its fans with the most prestigious of presents, the Magnus Cup, for the first time.

Climbing to the top

From 1982 to 1992, the team was in the top French division, La Ligue Magnus, but at the end of that year it was forced to step down to the 3rd divison for financial reasons. However, it didn't stay there long, advancing to th 2nd division and finally returning to the top division within a decade.

In 2002-03, the club benefited from the restructuring of the French hockey system and returned to the first division, la Ligue Magnus. Led by captain Éric Blais, les Diables Rouges battled through a difficult season and finished 12th in the league.

During the next season, 2003-04, Luciano Basile replaced Juha Jokihajü as head coach, and the team began climbing up toward the top of the league, finishing 5th in 2005, 3rd in 2007, and into the league final in 2008 against the Rouen Dragons.

In the 2009-10 season, Rouen defeated the Red Devils in the playoff semi-finals, but on 31 January 31 2010, at Paris-Bercy Stadium, Briançon rallied to win the French Cup title. Captain Edo Terglav lifted the French Cup Trophy, first major title in the club's history. Terglav, who almost didn't play in the final because of a knee injury, scored the shootout-winning goal after a tied game and scoreless overtime.

The next season, the team finished 6th in the regular season but made it to the playoff finals, where they lost to Grenoble. The Diable Rouges then almost folded following the season because of the financial difficulties. Resulting sanctions by the French Ice Hockey Federation excluded the club from competing for the French Cup and the Champions Cup in 2011-12. The club was then transfomed and became completely privatised with the formation of the Professional Sports Corporation Grand Briançonnais Hockey, made possible by 17 local investors. Sebastien Sode became the new club president.

The new management decided to keep Luciano Basile as head coach. They also succeeded in keeping their best players, including MVP Marc-André Bernier. Having a tight recruitment budget, Basile decided to sign 19-year-old goaltender Ander Alcaine, who had never played professional hockey to that point. In August of that year, Briançon's two goaltenders, Alcaine and Aurélien Bertrand, received intensive coaching and advising from Jonathan Bernier, brother of Marc-André and goalie for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. In the Coupe de la League, the Red Devils eliminated Chamonix and Rouen, making it into the finals again. On the outdoor rink in Méribel, les Diables Rouges finally won their first League Cup in 2012, beating the Morzine-Avoriaz Pengouins.

The dream is realised

The 2013-14 season was a special one for Briançon. After winning their second French Cup in the spring, they beat Rouen 4-2 on September 7 to win le match des champions, a game between the two Cup winners. Then on 22 December, Briançon played in the first French outdoor "Winter Game" against Grenoble. In front of a league-record 19 767 freezing spectators with the Alps as a backdrop, Briançon won.

The Red Devils finished 2nd in the regular season behind Rouen. They eliminated Villard-de-Lans and Dijon in the playoffs. In finals, they won an intense seven-game series against Angers. The ultimate victory took place on 6 April, 2014 at La Patinoire René-Froger, where Les Diables Rouges won their first-ever Magnus Cup.

The national championship means that the Champions Hockey League is coming to Briançon. It coincides with the start of a new era for the club, former team captain Edo Terglav succeeds Basile, the most successful coach in club history, as head coach.

Throughout the years, the people of Briançon have always fervently supported their home team, through victory as well as in defeat. Now they get a chance to do so on European club hockey's biggest stage.

Team facts

13-14 Individual leaders

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