Valence

In 2026 the Lynx de Valence won the French Division 2 championship, the first major title in a history that began in 1976, and with it went promotion back to Division 1 for the 2026–27 season. The club had been there before and had not kept its place.

The 2000s brought a run of promotions and relegations between Division 1 and the tiers below. It ended in 2012, when Valence finished last in Division 1 and went down. From 2012 to 2018 the club stayed in Division 2. Its black-and-red identity was redrawn in that period for the 40th anniversary, with claw marks and a lynx head on the badge.

Jan Dlouhý has been head coach since 2020. In 2024–25 the team reached the Round of 32 in the Coupe de France, its best run in that competition. The Division 2 title came the next season.

Valence now plays in the top flight of French hockey again, at the Patinoire du Polygone, which holds 1,000. The nearest sides are Lyon Hockey Club, the Lions, and Roanne Hockey, the Foxes. No derby between them has an official name.