Luc Tardif, IIHF President, answers questions from reporters during a press conference at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax on Thursday, January 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
HALIFAX – International Ice Hockey Federation president Luc Tardif says Hockey Canada’s new board of directors should be given a chance to fix the scandal-plagued organization.
Speaking ahead of the bronze- and gold-medal games at the world junior hockey championship, Tardif said he met face-to-face with chair Hugh Fraser, who was elected along with eight directors last month, and came away optimistic about the future.
The previous board resigned in October – president and CEO Scott Smith exited the same day – in the wake of the federation’s botched handling of alleged sexual assaults and payments to victims.
Tardif said the game has been damaged by the scandals, but “we don’t have to throw the baby (out) with the bathwater.”
He added there’s “something still good for ice hockey, but we have to correct.”
Tardif was also asked about the NHL’s participation at the 2026 Olympics, stating he wants an answer by the spring of 2024. The league pulled the plug on the 2022 Games in Beijing because of COVID-19 concerns and hasn’t participated on the world’s biggest sporting stage since 2014 in Sochi, Russia.
___
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 5, 2023.
