Luc Tardif will be attentive to world events over the coming months.
The door of one of hockey the powers needed to join the fold may soon open up.
US President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he plans to work to end Russia’s war in Ukraine when he returns to the White House later this month.
If that happens, the fallout could include lifting the ban on international competition imposed on Russia since its neighbor’s invasion in February 2022.
“We need to let the door open as soon as possible,” Tardif, president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, said on Sunday.
“It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of months.”
Russia was excluded from the World Junior Hockey Championship – the 2025 event ended Sunday in Ottawa – as well as other men’s, women’s and para-hockey tournaments.
Tardif said an on-field decision for next year’s world juniors in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, will be carried out in February.
He added that the IIHF will also press the International Olympic Committee for an answer for the 2026 Games in Milan and Cortina, Italy, which will see the return of NHL players after a 12-year absence.
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“Organizing committees need to know who is playing to establish a schedule,” Tardif said at the IIHF’s closing news conference in Ottawa. “Teams also need to see exactly what their schedule will be.”
Tardif said having Russia and Belarus, who were also banned due to their support of the war, would be good news for hockey and the world.
“We want them back as quickly as possible,” he said. “It will mean the war will be over.
“(Russia) is missing in any competition. But if they arrived too early, that wouldn’t be a good thing.”
Tardif was also asked about the NHL’s plans regarding an international calendar that goes beyond the sphere of the IIHF with the next confrontation of the 4 nations and the desire to organize a World Cup every two years from 2028.
Tardif said the NHL had floated the idea of a World Cup in Europe, but added that would be difficult with the men’s world championships, which are held each spring.
He also pointed out that the IIHF is not holding its men’s world championships in North America because it would conflict with the NHL playoffs.
“We want the same respect,” Tardif said. “The desire to organize a competition together, we will do it at the Olympic Games, is still there. But what we want is partnership – equality in partnership. We made a proposal at the end of December, so we are now opening the discussion about it and I hope we will have the same success as the Olympic Games.
“But we still have a lot to discuss.”
REFFING STANDARD
Canadian fans and players were furious after the underperforming national team was eliminated from the world juniors in the quarterfinals for a second straight year.
The host nation’s performance was marred by undisciplined play, but the referees did the team no favors in their round of 16 defeat to Czechia, including two questionable knee penalties.
“If you want me to apologize, I can,” Tardif said. “I’m not on the ice. I am not a referee and I want to protect the referee. Improve yourself and analyze what is good and what is not. It’s like the player. For a lot of games, sometimes it’s discipline and sometimes it’s maybe a bad decision – maybe – but it’s human.
HOST CITIES 2027
Hockey Canada has not yet announced the host cities for the 2027 World Juniors in Alberta.
The province has hosted two pandemic-affected tournaments in 2021 and 2022. Calgary is building a new NHL arena, but Scotia Place isn’t expected to be ready until fall 2027.
HONORED COSTELLO
The IIHF has announced that the World Junior MVP Trophy has been renamed the Murray Costello Award.
Costello, who led the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association and Hockey Canada as president for two decades, died in July at the age of 90.
© 2025 The Canadian Press