No Canadian representatives secured a seat on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s council during the recent election at the IIHF’s semi-annual congress in Tenerife, Spain. Despite Canada’s strong standing in the sport, Hockey Canada president and CEO Katherine Henderson failed to secure one of the three available female spots on the council.
Instead, Hungary’s Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer, Turkey’s Merve Tunali, and Poland’s Marta Zawadzka emerged as the winners of the council seats. Canada will be regionally represented by American Mike Trimboli, who was elected as the vice-president for the Americas and Oceania unopposed, succeeding Bob Nicholson.
Former Hockey Canada president Murray Costello previously served as vice-president for five years before Nicholson assumed the role in 2012. Notably, the new council includes representatives from non-traditional hockey nations such as Turkey, New Zealand, and Kyrgyzstan.
Germany’s Franz Reindl was elected as the new president to replace Luc Tardif, who hails from France but has roots in Quebec. Additionally, Petr Briza of Czechia was re-elected as the senior vice-president. Canada has historically held a seat on the IIHF Council since 1978, with a brief hiatus from 1994-1998 when an American representative held the Americas vice-president position.
