National League B

The National League B is the second level of professional ice hockey in Switzerland. It was established in 1947.
==Format==
As of 2009-10, the ten clubs in the league play a 45 games regular season, during which each team meets each other 5 times. The eight best teams then advance to the playoffs. They last three rounds (quarterfinals, semifinals and finals) and have a best-of-seven format.
Each season, the league's champion gets to play a best-of-seven series against the last-seeded team of the National League A. This series determinates the participants in each league for both leagues. Should the winner of the NLB win the series, they get promoted to the NLA, while the other team is relegated to the NLB. A qualification series also used to exist to determine whether a team from the Swiss 1.Liga is promoted to the NLB. The last four teams of the regular season meet in the playouts, followed by a series with the 1.Liga champion. This qualification has not been played for several seasons, however.
==History==
For three seasons, from 2006-07 to 2008-09, the U20 Swiss National Team played in the NLB along with the professional teams.
In recent years, the size of the league has continuously shrunk as teams decided to withdraw from the league for various reasons, usually financial. HC Forward-Morges was the first one to step out in 2005-06, followed two seasons later by both EHC Chur and HC Martigny. If HC Thurgau was promoted to replace Morges, Chur and Martigny were not replaced, leaving the league with 12 teams instead of 14; 12 being the number including the Swiss U20, which were playing an incomplete schedule and did not take part in the playoffs. HC Neuchâtel Young Sprinters also dropped from the league prior to the 2009-10 NLB season, leaving the league with only 10 clubs.
===2011-12 Teams===
*HC Ajoie 
*EHC Basel
*HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
*SC Langenthal
*HC Lausanne
*GCK Lions
*EHC Olten
*HC Sierre
*EHC Visp
*HC Thurgau
==2010-11 Teams==
2010-11 National League B teams	2010-11 National League B teams	2010-11 National League B teams	2010-11 National League B teams	2010-11 National League B teams
Team 	City/Area 	Arena 	Capacity 	
HC Ajoie 	Porrentruy 	Patinoire du Voyeboeuf 	 	
EHC Basel 	Basel 	Patinoire Saint-Jacques 	 	
HC La Chaux-de-Fonds 	La Chaux-de-Fonds 	Patinoire des Mélèzes 	 	
GCK Lions 	Zürich 	KEK Küsnacht 	 	
SC Langenthal 	Langenthal 	Kunsteisbahn Schoren 	 	
Lausanne HC 	Lausanne 	Patinoire de Malley 	 	
EHC Olten 	Olten 	Eishalle Kleinholz 	 	
HC Sierre 	Sierre 	Patinoire de Graben 	 	
HC Thurgau 	Weinfelden 	Bodensee Arena 	 	
EHC Visp 	Visp 	Litterna-Halle 	 	
===Season 2008/09===
*HC Ajoie - since 1999/2000
*EHC Basel - relegated from NLA in 2007/08
*HC La Chaux-de-Fonds
*SC Langenthal
*HC Lausanne
*GCK Lions
*EHC Olten
*HC Sierre
*EHC Visp
*HC Thurgau - since 2006/07
*Swiss U20 Team
===in former times===
*EHC Biel - promoted to NLA in 2007/08
*EHC Chur - withdrawal end of season 2007/08
*HC Forward-Morges - withdrawal end of season 2005/06
*HC Martigny - withdrawal end of season 2007/08
==See also==
* National League A
* Regio League
* List of NLB seasons
Category:Ice hockey in Switzerland
Category:Ice hockey leagues
Category:Established in 1947
Category:Nationalliga B