The chair of the IIHF's event and championship and athletes committees discusses his background in the game, German NHLers and the Olympics.
The Hockey News' Money & Power 2026 hockey business annual is available at THN.com/free, featuring the annual 100 people of power and influence list.
W. Graeme Roustan, owner and publisher of The Hockey News, sat down with special guests for peer-to-peer conversations also featured in the issue, including the chair of the IIHF's event and championship and athletes committees, Franz Reindl.
Here's their full conversation in The Hockey News' True Hockey Talk:
Read along with an excerpt from their discussion:
W. GRAEME ROUSTAN: Today I'm with Franz Reindl, council member of the IIHF. We're actually in the French Riviera, talking about hockey. That's unique.
FRANZ REINDL: That's absolutely unique. It's nice to be here, and knowing the Olympic Games are coming in this city, it's even more attractive.
WGR: So this is a scouting mission, in a way?
FR: In a way, yes, but we have another mission. We want to grow the game and have fun here with all the MNAs, the member national associations. So far, so good.
WGR: As a kid, how did you get interested in hockey?
FR: My family and I lived in a mountain area, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. It's a little town in the south of Germany, south of Bavaria. Hockey is the No. 1 sport there, so I grew up with hockey. I grew up with big equipment from my brothers, big skates, and I was so happy to receive, later on, Bauer skates. I grew up there, and I was happy to be able to win, with great teammates, two German championships there in the small city. Now, the big cities in Germany are on top, and the small cities are more in the second or third league.
WGR: It sounds a lot like growing up in Canada. Same experience, different country, isn't it?
FR: We played hockey all the time, and I still do it. I still love it.
WGR: You got involved in the German Ice Hockey Federation at some point?
FR: First, being a national-team player, I was treated by the German Hockey Federation very well and was able to win a bronze medal with my teammates. After my career, I started being a coach, manager and so on. In '91, I was hired by the federation to be an assistant national-team coach and assistant director of sports. I learned a lot behind the scenes.
WGR: And then you became the president.
FR: I was voted as the president in 2014, until 2022 – two terms. It was a great time. Tough, but German hockey improved very well. Now, we have a new generation. We have a new board in Germany, and they're running the federation very well. Having the World Championship in 2027 in Germany, they are pretty busy.
WGR: Some of the best NHL players now are from Germany. You must have a tremendous amount of pride in seeing the results of the investment that the German Ice Hockey Federation has made in these players.
FR: Absolutely. You have Leon (Draisaitl) as our No. 1, and so many players. There are a lot coming out of the Powerplay26 program that we started in 2014. It's still ongoing, and it's getting better.
WGR: When you were on the national team and now you sit back and watch these NHL players playing for their country, you must feel a direct connection.
FR: Yes, it's a kind of dream. When I played, we got hammered. We got really beaten bad, especially against the teams from the eastern part of the world – the Czechs and Finns and Swedes and so on. We had a hard time, but we also had some success. Our players now are way more competitive.
WGR: You've focused so much of your time professionally on Germany. Now, you're on the council, so you have to change your vision and focus on global hockey. Has that been a big step for you?
FR: No, it's not a big step, but it is a little bit different. At home, you're stressed every day and you are really doing the daily business. Sometimes it's harder. Internationally, the focus is on growing the game more: seeing the numbers of MNAs increasing with the IIHF and seeing people here at the Forum, for example, how interested they are to get better, to get organized, to get a structure, to build rinks.
"I think Italy will be wonderful for hockey, having best-on-best."- Franz Reindl
WGR: From the council's point of view, what are the two or three most important points about growing the game that you deal with?
FR: Growing the game means treating people well. Talking to kids, it's a different story. We need young people to go into the game. But some of the MNAs, they don't have a rink. So we have to help to build, in some way, a rink. Even if it's small ice, get ice and get started. The most important thing is getting a structure. Set a goal, not too high, and finalize the steps to go to the goal. It doesn't matter how big it is. It's the same system. Analyze, create a vision and follow the light.
WGR: Could you believe, if you look back to when you were a 10-year-old boy on the lake playing hockey, that you would have had this career?
FR: It was not in my dreams. It's so nice to be, still, involved in the game. It's just love of the game, passion and to give all the experience you have to other people. Then, maybe they follow. Now, being with the IIHF council, sometimes at home, they say, "This is big." It's not. For me, I don't have that feeling. I still work for the game and give back whatever I can.
WGR: We are months away from the Olympics in Italy. What's your vision for the Olympics this year?
FR: We have World Championships every year. It's great to be there, and that's wonderful. But being an athlete and having the Olympic Games in front of you – so many want to be there. Everyone. I think Italy will be wonderful for hockey, having best-on-best. This is what we all like to see, for the men and also for the women. I'm really looking forward to it. I think Italy and the IIHF, we are prepared for it, and we welcome the NHL to be part of it. I think we will see great games, and we'll have a great experience.
WGR: Last night or the night before, 'King Henrik' (Lundqvist) was up on the stage, and he talked about when he was a little boy, he dreamt of wearing the national jersey of Sweden. That's what his dream was. You played for the national team. Did you have that same experience?
FR: Listening to Henrik, it was me. I heard myself. I still have the same thinking and the same feeling.
WGR: This is what matters to them more than even playing for whatever club they're playing for. Is that the case?
FR: It's the case, and it's sometimes not so easy to say it because you are contracted by a big club. If you say this, it sounds not so nice, maybe. But it's the truth. I still feel it. Wearing this jersey of a national team, sitting with all the guys in the room and fighting for your country, it's unbelievable.
For more interviews with a deep look into the world of the hockey business, check out The Hockey News' Money & Power 2026 issue, available at THN.com/free.