Luc Tardif Reflects on Five Years as IIHF President
Tardif says he leaves the IIHF presidency satisfied, citing the 2024 Prague Worlds and NHL players' return to the Olympics as highlights before October's election.
Luc Tardif has looked back on five years in charge of the IIHF, saying he leaves the post with a sense of satisfaction. The Frenchman took over as president in 2021 and confirmed earlier that he will step down in October, with elections for his successor set for 2 October at the federation's half-year congress in Tenerife.
Tardif pointed to the 2024 World Championship in Prague as the moment the federation "came back to life" after the disruption of the Covid years, when tournaments went ahead without spectators or inside bio-bubbles. He also cited two years of negotiations with the NHL that led to the league's players returning to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years, at the Milan Games.
He said he does not intend to leave the sport altogether. Tardif plans to assist France with hosting the 2028 World Championship and the Olympics that follow two years later, though at a slower pace than during his presidency.
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