France

France is a country of Western Europe with a population of about 65,000,000. The country shares terrestrial borders with Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and Italy; it shares a maritime border with Great Britain. 
==History of hockey in France==
France was one of the earliest European nations to play ice hockey; it already had a national team in 1905. It was also a former French player, Louis Magnus, who created the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) in 1908 along with representatives from France, Belgium, Great Britain and Switzerland.
Consequently, it is no surprise that the Championnat de France (French Championship), from which evolved the current Ligue Magnus, appeared as soon as 1903.
==Organization==
Ice hockey in France works accordingly to a promotion and relegation system. Besides the league system, there is also a national Cup (la Coupe de France). Another Cup, the Coupe de la Ligue (League's Cup) is a tournament played within the Ligue Magnus. A special match, the Match des Champions (Champions' Match) is also played between the Ligue Magnus winner and the Coupe de la League winner. The winner of that match earns the Jacques Lacarrière Trophy.
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Elite 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	Ligue Magnus (14) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Second 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	French Division 1 (14) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Third 	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10)	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10)	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10) 	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10) 	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10) 	French Division 2 Poule Nord (10) 	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	French Division 2 Poule Sud (10)	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Fourth 	French Division 3 Ouest (5) 	French Division 3 Ouest (5) 	French Division 3 Île-de-France Centre et Sud (5)	French Division 3 Île-de-France Centre et Sud (5)	French Division 3 Île-de-France Nord (5)	French Division 3 Île-de-France Nord (5)	French Division 3 Nord (5) 	French Division 3 Nord (5) 	French Division 3 Est (5) 	French Division 3 Est (5) 	French Division 3 Sud-Est (5) 	French Division 3 Sud-Est (5) 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==International==
		
France	
France	
France					
		
Info		
Rinks		
Players		
Referees	
 130
		
Population	
65,447,374	
Indoor	
130	
Total	
17,133	
Male	
--
		
Capital	
Paris	
Outdoor	
24	
Male	
6,041	
Female	
--
		
IIHF Since	
October 20 1908			
Junior	
9,572		
						
Female	
1,520		
The French men's national ice hockey team has participated in the IIHF European Championships, the IIHF World Hockey Championships and the Olympic Games. They are currently ranked 14th in the world in the IIHF 2009 world rankings. It is controlled by the Fédération Française de Hockey sur Glace. The only French player currently in the NHL is goalie Cristobal Huet, although Philippe Bozon formerly played for the St. Louis Blues. French Womens, U20, U18, and Womens U18 teams have also participated in world championships.
Europe's first official hockey team, the Patineurs de Paris, was formed in 1903. They played their first international game against a team from London.
France staged its first national hockey championship in 1904, which made it the second country in Europe after Great Britain. Two years later, the French national team played its first game against Belgium.
==Some great French players==
* Stéphane Barin
* Philippe Bozon
* Cristobal Huet
* Franck Pajonkowski
* Denis Perez
* Serge Poudrier
* Christian Pouget
* Christophe Ville
==National Teams==
*France men's national ice hockey team
*France men's national junior ice hockey team
*France women's national ice hockey team
*France women's national U-18 ice hockey team
*France men's national U-18 ice hockey team
Category:Hockey Countries
Category:Ice hockey in France
Category:Countries