Luc Tardif has been elected as the new IIHF president, the federation announced Saturday.
The French hockey official is succeeding longtime president Rene Fasel, who held the position for 27 years and didn't stand for re-election. Tardif beat out Franz Reindl by 67 votes to 39 in the fourth round.
Tardif has been president of the French Ice Hockey Federation since 2006.
"Believe me, I will do everything to be at the level of your expectation. I'm committed to open up our beautiful sport, to promote it, to defend it, to prepare it for the future but above all to respect it with dignity," Tardif said.
Prior to his election, Tardif underlined the importance of helping international hockey bounce back from losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The change comes just five months before the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. It was announced earlier this month that, after missing the 2018 Games, NHL players will return to the biggest international stage.
Fasel, a dentist and former amateur player, helped bring NHL players to the Olympics for the first time in 1998.
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