Exclusive: IIHF President Luc Tardif Weighs in From World Juniors
The head of the international organization talks Russia, women's hockey, the current state of the world juniors and more.
HALIFAX - As the 2023 world juniors enter their most crucial stage, I had the opportunity to sit down with IIHF president Luc Tardif for a 1-on-1 about all things international hockey. From the early returns in Halifax and Moncton to the status of Russia and Belarus, we covered a wide variety of topics. Here's a look at what Tardif had to say.
RK: Let's begin with the tournament so far; it's been very competitive.
Luc Tardif: First, you cannot imagine how good it is coming back to the best spot for the world juniors: Christmas time. Everybody is happy. Last year we had to stop due to COVID then have one in August, which was not the best time. Now, it's about a normal tournament. The games are exciting, we had surprises in the preliminary round and a lot of records – and that's not over.
It was a good idea to come to Halifax and Moncton. For a while, the tournament was so big we had to go to NHL buildings. Here, we're coming back to the spirit of the world juniors. The cities are living the tournament. And we've noticed that, talking to TSN, the event has always been a rendez-vous for Christmas time in Canada - but now it's also the same in Finland, Sweden, Czechia and Slovakia. We saw the numbers, the audiences, and that's fantastic.
RK: With Russia and Belarus – I don't know if you saw, but Donetsk's arena was bombed yesterday – obviously they are still out of international play. Is there a plan right now if things change? Because you have a relegation format, but you have two teams that would be at the top tier for various levels.
LT: We voted at the last congress on the process for if they come back. Next year, the year after, I don't know. The next decision will be at the IIHF congress in Finland, so that would be at the end of May 2023. We will make a decision if they come back or not for one year. When we start the process, it's just for one year. The International Olympic Committee, looking at Paris 2024 (the Summer Games), they are a little bit more open to letting the athletes come from Russia and Belarus. But for us, the congress decides. And the decision is always based on the safety of our competition, the players – even Russia and Belarus themselves – and everyone else involved. This (world junior) tournament was supposed to be in Novosibirsk. So, is it possible to go to Novosibirsk and be safe? The fans have to travel, what if they say something bad about Putin? That was an easy choice; it was not possible. And right now, there is no visa for Russians. The decision will always be on safety, not politics. Because if we start to accept pressure from politics – there is conflict everywhere. Uzbekistan, Armenia, Taipei – in Iceland, we will have a game between China and Chinese Taipei. So it's always a question of safety.
RK: So if they return, would they return to the top group of the world juniors or men's worlds?
LT: So far, we keep them in the top division, but we freeze them. And we will know because the Division 1A tournament will be the week after the congress' decision. So we want to give them an idea of how it's going to work. If we freeze for another year, they will have two going up, two going down. And if they are coming back, then we will have no promotion. We want to take the decision year by year. But we cannot keep those places for 10 years.
RK: Corporate sponsorships are important, and with the Hockey Canada scandal, we saw a big withdrawal. Do you expect things to go back to normal with the world juniors in Sweden next year?
LT: I had my first meeting yesterday with Hockey Canada's new chairman of the board. We were really happy to have someone to talk to. It was a tough year – there was no pilot on the plane. It was tough on the executive staff. They did a good job and they were a little bit alone in a bad atmosphere. Yes, they made a mistake, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. That's a good organization that made a mistake and is correcting it. Everyone understands what happened and we should give the new board a chance. The experience of the staff under them, they organized three tournaments with another coming with the women in April (in Brampton, Ont.). Nobody wanted to make a decision, and it was supposed to be in Ottawa and Gatineau, but the ice was no longer available. I hope this tournament is the beginning of a new cycle. That's not ignoring what happened, but we have to be optimistic for the future. Some people will pay the price – and some already did.
RK: Speaking of looking ahead, the women's under-18s are coming up in Sweden. How excited are you about the state of the international women's game?
LT: That's our main target. We want to find the best time to organize. Should it be before the worlds in May? That was not possible this year, but we want to take time and find the spot. We want the same level of organization whether it's in Canada or Europe. That means a good broadcast product and after that we will have sponsors. This year, for the first time, we signed a contract with China for Division 1A. It's $9 million over three years for the women. We want to invest that to bring the top level up and the second step will be the under-18s for the women. Together we want a better broadcast product for the women's product no matter where it is. Sponsors are open to this.
