Franz Reindl elected IIHF president as Canada loses council seat

German hockey official Franz Reindl has been chosen as the new president of the International Ice Hockey Federation after a narrow election held on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The vote came after incumbent Luc Tardif opted not to seek another term at the helm of the IIHF.

Reindl edges Briza in tight runoff between Olympic medallists

Reindl secured the presidency in a second-round runoff, defeating Czech candidate Petr Briza by a margin of 60 votes to 57. Both men are former players who earned Olympic bronze medals during their careers. Reindl was part of the West Germany team that finished third in 1976, beating both the United States and Finland on the way to the podium, while Briza backstopped Czechoslovakia to bronze at the 1992 Games.

Briza had the upper hand in the opening round, leading 48-36, but the dynamics shifted after Kyrgyzstan’s Aivaz Omorkanov was eliminated from the race. Reindl picked up enough support from that point to overturn the deficit and claim the presidency. The result comes five years after Reindl finished as runner‑up to Tardif in the previous presidential contest.

The new president has longstanding ties with the NHL, including his role as president of Team Europe at the NHL-run World Cup of Hockey in 2016. At 71, Reindl is only slightly younger than Tardif, underscoring that this change at the top does not represent a generational overhaul in terms of age.

Tardif era defined by Olympics return and Russia’s exclusion

Tardif’s time in office included two defining developments for international hockey. Under his watch, NHL players returned to Olympic participation for the Milan-Cortina Games, and Russian teams were banned from IIHF competition following the country’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Tardif announced in March that he would not stand for re‑election, saying it was time for younger leadership.

The new IIHF Council for the 2026‑2030 term will be led by Reindl, with Briza moving into the role of senior vice president. Regional vice presidents include American Mike Trimboli for the Americas and Oceania, succeeding retired Canadian executive Bob Nicholson, along with representatives from South Korea and Slovakia for Asia, and for Europe and Africa respectively.

Canada shut out of new IIHF Council

One of the most notable outcomes of the election is Canada’s absence from the incoming council. Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson stood for a seat but did not receive enough support to be elected. That result leaves Canada without direct representation on the federation’s main governing body for the upcoming term.

The remainder of the council is filled by officials from a broad range of member nations in Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania. Over the 2026‑2030 cycle, Reindl and the council will oversee key files such as ongoing cooperation with the NHL, major international tournaments and the geopolitical issues that continue to shape participation and scheduling on the global hockey calendar.