New “boss” of world hockey, Luc Tardif was put to the test
Elected president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) on September 25, 2021, the Canadian-French leader spoke of his turbulent start to his mandate on the sidelines of the world championship in Tampere and Helsinki.
Luc Tardif had a turbulent first few months at the head of the International Ice Hockey Federation.
AFP
Luc Tardif, you have been at the helm of the IIHF since September 2021. You would have hoped for a quieter start, wouldn’t you?
It is the least we can say! But being IIHF President isn’t just about handing out trophies or handing out flowers. It mostly consists of taking care of day-to-day business. These have been complex since September. We had to manage the big push of the new Covid variant, which forced us to cancel tournaments or interrupt others in the middle. There was also the withdrawal of the NHL from the Olympics. Then war in Ukraine was declared when we thought we had some respite. This directly affected us given the important place that Russia holds in ice hockey. The IIHF has managed to overcome all these constraints. I don’t know if it was the “rookie test”, but I didn’t have time to get bored!