Franz Reindl elected President of the World Ice Hockey Federation IIHF

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”.

Tardif did not stand for election this time. For Reindl it was the last chance. According to the statutes, a candidate must be no more than 72 years old. Reindl will turn 72 on November 24th. This means he will 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 always have “the same drama before the Olympic Games.” He is alluding to the regular challenge of getting the NHL professionals free for 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.

It is also conceivable that Reindl is aiming for a reorganization of the World Cup tournaments. This would be possible from 2033. However, the conditions for this would have to be created during Reindl's term of office. The World Championships take place annually in May, particularly for financial reasons. The NHL play-offs are still ongoing 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 lots of ideas,” said Reindl.

What has recently also been problematic for the IIHF is that the NHL wants to firmly re-establish the World Cup of Hockey, which was previously organized irregularly and exclusively by it. This tournament with the biggest NHL stars would then be in constant competition with the IIHF World Cup. "It's important that the calendars are coordinated. I think we can do that," said Reindl.

As a player, the Garmisch-Partenkirchen player won the German championship three times with SC Riessersee and the Rosenheim sports association. He played 181 times for the national team. At the German Ice Hockey Association he was sports director, general secretary, managing director and president from 2014 to 2022. He also helped out as national coach on an interim basis in 2004.

"Franz Reindl has shaped German ice hockey for decades - as a player, but especially in his various important functions for our association. The fact that the international ice hockey family is now entrusting him with the leadership of the IIHF is a great recognition of his work," said the current DEB board chairman Frank Lutz.