Franz Reindl elected IIHF President

Shortly before his 72nd birthday, former DEB President Franz Reindl achieved his big goal at the second attempt and was elected President of the World Ice Hockey Federation IIHF. At the IIHF Congress in Tenerife, the 1976 Olympic bronze winner narrowly prevailed in the second round with 60:57 votes ahead of former DEL goalkeeper Petr Briza from the Czech Republic. Reindl is the second German IIHF president after Günther Sabtezki (1975 - 1994).

Reindl succeeds the Frenchman Luc Tardif (73), against whom Reindl failed in the election five years ago. At that time, the election was accompanied by allegations of infidelity against Reindl. The public prosecutor's investigation was later closed. “It obviously influenced the election,” Reindl said recently in an interview with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.

Only four years in office

Tardif did not stand for election this time. For Reindl it was the last chance. According to the statutes, a candidate may not be more than 72 years old; Reindl will be 72 in November. He will therefore no longer be able to run in the next election in 2030.

“You behave differently when you have to be re-elected,” said Reindl, whose biggest challenge is to improve communication with the NHL so as not to have “the same drama before every Olympic Games.” He is alluding to the regular challenge of having the NHL professionals take part in the Olympics. In February in Milan, the best players in the world took part in Sochi for the first time since 2014 after difficult negotiations.

World Cup reform possible

It is also conceivable that Reindl is aiming for a reorganization of the World Cup tournaments. The World Championships take place annually in May, particularly for financial reasons. The NHL playoffs are still running at the time, so only a portion of the NHL professionals can take part. "Whether every year, every two, or three or four years - there are many ideas about it," said Reindl.

What has also recently been problematic for the IIHF is that the NHL wants to re-establish the World Cup of Hockey, which it previously organized on an irregular basis. This tournament with the biggest NHL stars would then be in constant competition with the IIHF World Championship. «It is important that the calendars are coordinated. I think we can do it,” said Reindl.