Épinal

Ice hockey in Épinal descends from a winter sports society, the Sports d'hiver Spinaliens, formed in 1906. The Épinal Hockey Club of today dates from 1997. In between, the team went by several names, among them Image Club d'Épinal, Gamyo Épinal and Dauphins d'Épinal. It has also been nicknamed the Squirrels and the Foxes. Since 2022 it has been the Wildcats.

The high point came in 2015, when Épinal reached the Ligue Magnus final and lost to Rouen. Guillaume Chassard, born in the town and a product of its academy, played there from 1996 to 2012. He was picked for the French national team and for the Ligue Magnus All-Star game in 2008. Earlier, in the 1989-1990 season, Bob Gainey played for the club, which caused a stir in the region.

The club's liquidation in 2018 put it back at the bottom of the French pyramid, and the way back is the more instructive part of its story. Épinal won the fourth tier, FFHG Division 3, in 2019 and the third tier, Division 2, in 2020. Ján Plch, the head coach, then took the team to the second tier, Division 1, in 2023 and 2025. Martin Charpentier has captained the side through the Wildcats years.

The local rivalry is with the Étoile Noire de Strasbourg. Matches between the two are known as the "Derby de l'Est".

The Patinoire de Poissompré, built in 1970, holds 2,500.