Canada Shut Out of IIHF Council as Franz Reindl Elected President
Franz Reindl of Germany is the new president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. He won a close runoff vote on Friday at the IIHF congress in Tenerife, Spain. The bigger shock for Canadian fans came further down the ballot that day.
Reindl wins a three-vote runoff
Reindl beat Petr Briza of Czechia by a score of 60 votes to 57. Briza led the first round with 48 votes, while Reindl had 36 votes. Kyrgyzstan’s Aivaz Omorkanov finished third with 33 votes and was removed from the ballot.
Reindl replaces Luc Tardif, who chose not to run for another term as president. Five years ago, Reindl finished second to Tardif in the last presidential election. He is the first German to lead the IIHF since Gunther Sabetzki left office in 1994.
Who is Franz Reindl?
The 71-year-old played pro hockey in Germany through the 1970s and 1980s. He won a bronze medal with West Germany at the 1976 Winter Olympics. He later served as president of the German Ice Hockey Federation from 2014 to 2022.
In his first speech, Reindl thanked the voters and promised to serve every member nation. He said large and small hockey nations would all get his full attention. His term begins as hockey debates the return of Russian teams to world events.
Canada loses its voice at the table
Hockey Canada CEO Katherine Henderson failed to win a seat on the 15-member council. She was chasing one of three seats set aside for women, but fell short. Hungary, Turkey and Poland won those seats instead of Canada on Friday.
Canada has had a voice on the council without a break since 1978 until now. The only gap in that run came between 1994 and 1998, nearly 30 years ago. American Mike Trimboli took the Americas seat after Bob Nicholson stepped aside.
What it means for the 2027 World Juniors
Nothing about this vote changes the 2027 World Juniors in Edmonton and Red Deer. The tournament was awarded to the two cities long before the council election. The real impact is on future votes, like where later tournaments will be played.
The new IIHF Council (2026-2030)
Petr Briza of Czechia stays on as senior vice-president of the IIHF. Other members include Heikki Hietanen of Finland and Anders Larsson of Sweden. Latvia, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan, and Korea also hold seats on the council. Belarus, Bulgaria, and New Zealand fill out the rest of the 15-member council.