Luc Tardif
Luc Tardif | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada | 29 March 1953||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupation | Sales engineer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Known for | International Ice Hockey Federation president, French Ice Hockey Federation past-president | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Children | 3, incl. Luc Tardif Jr. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Luc Tardif (born 29 March 1953) is a Canadian-born French ice hockey executive, and former professional ice hockey player. A native of Trois-Rivières, he played junior ice hockey in Quebec, then was an all-star player for the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières. During his professional career, he became a naturalized citizen of France, won two Nationale A League titles, and won the Charles Ramsay Trophy four times with Chamonix HC as the league's top scorer. Later in his career, he was a player-coach for the Dragons de Rouen, then served as the team's vice-president and oversaw the youth hockey program.
Tardif served as head of the hockey for the
Tardif was elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) council in 2010, appointed its treasurer in 2012, then became its finance committee chairman in 2016. He was elected president of the IIHF in 2021, on a campaign to make it a non-political body, and to fight doping in sport and racism. He stated desires to combine Division 1 at the Ice Hockey World Championships to have a larger event, to encourage top-tier coaches to teach in developing countries, and to expand three-on-three ice hockey targeted at youths. He also sought for the National Hockey League to allow its players to participate in ice hockey at the Olympic Games, and to co-ordinate schedules for the Kontinental Hockey League and other European leagues to benefit players attending the Olympics.
Early life
Luc Tardif was born on 29 March 1953, in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.[1][2] He began playing ice hockey in Canada at age three.[2]
Playing career
Amateur
Tardif played as a
Tardif declined offers to play NCAA Division I ice hockey, and instead attended the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) and played two seasons of Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union hockey for the UQTR Patriotes.[5] He was named a Quebec Universities Athletic Association conference all-star in the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons, and led the conference in goals scored during his first season.[6][7] He also earned an invitation to training camp for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1974.[8][9] While playing on an all-star team of players from universities in Quebec, he was noticed by a European scout in a game versus the Czechoslovakia national team, and was invited to play professionally.[10]
Professional
Tardif moved to Europe to play two seasons in the Belgian Hockey League with the Brussels Royal IHSC,[2][11] where he led the 1975 Dutch Cup in goals scored.[12] After his Brussels team placed last overall in the 1976 Dutch Cup, it withdrew from the Dutch league.[13]
Tardif had planned on returning to Trois-Rivières after two seasons in Belgium, until a former teammate from UQTR recommended him to Chamonix HC who sought to fill their vacancy for a foreign-born player.[10] Tardif played in the Nationale A League with Chamonix for seven seasons from 1977–78 to 1983–84,[1] and referred to his time in Chamonix as "the best period of my hockey career", until "the injuries started to slow me down".[10] He won the Charles Ramsay Trophy as the league's top scorer four times in five seasons from 1979 to 1983.[1] He missed the 1981–82 season with a knee injury and was replaced by Rick Bourbonnais.[14] In the early 1980s, Tardif became a naturalized citizen of France (a frequent move among foreign players at the time) in order to get around the league's stringent one-import rule, and to improve his post hockey career prospects.[15] He won the first of two Nationale A League titles when he led Chamonix HC to its final championship in 1979.[16]
Tardif later played five seasons with the Dragons de Rouen from 1984–85 to 1987–88, and again for the 1989–90 season. He also played for the Drakkars de Caen in the FFHG Division 1 during the 1988–89 season.[1] In 1984, Tardif was recruited by Rouen to achieve promotion to the Nationale A League.[17][18] He helped Rouen win its first Nationale A League title in 1990, then retired.[17] He served as Rouen's player-coach for several seasons, was briefly the team's vice-president, and oversaw the youth hockey program at Rouen during his spare time.[2][18]
Sports executive career
French Ice Hockey Federation
In 2000, Tardif was called to the
During his tenure with the FFHG, Tardif imposed a salary cap to prevent teams from filing for bankruptcy, and oversaw investments into expansion and upgrades of arenas in the Ligue Magnus.[18][23] He also implemented a control commission for financial transparency, since multiple teams had filed for bankruptcy during the 1990s.[23] In 2007, the French Cup final was moved to the Palais ominisport de Paris-Bercy, where the event saw an increase in attendance at the largest indoor venue in Paris.[24] He later led the campaign to raise financing for a national training facility, Aren'Ice. It opened in 2016 in Cergy, and serves as the home ice for the Jokers de Cergy-Pontoise in the Ligue Magnus.[25] During the 2016 French Cup final, Tardif met with Ligue Magnus executives to reduce the number of teams in the league, and to reorganize and transition the teams from a sports association into a professional hockey team structure. He also negotiated a television contract for the league with L'Équipe 21.[23]
Tardif retired as president of the FFHG in 2021, and was succeeded by its vice-president, Pierre-Yves Gerbeau.[26]
French international sports
Tardif was the event manager at Club France, the French house of the 2010 Olympic Village in Vancouver.[27] He was subsequently chosen by the French National Olympic and Sports Committee (CNOSF) as the head of mission for France at the Olympics during the 2014 and 2018 Winter Games.[21][22] He was elected to the CNOSF's administrative council in 2021.[22] Together with its president Brigitte Henriques, Tardif was named co-chair of the Olympic Commission, an organ of the CNOSF that oversees matters pertaining directly to the Olympic Games.[28] He was also a member of the French International Sports Committee (Comité Français du Sport International), and charged with promoting Paris' bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[27][22]
International Ice Hockey Federation
Tardif joined the IIHF in 2008, as a member of the competition committee.[21] He was elected to the IIHF Council in 2010.[21] He was appointed treasurer of the IIHF in 2012,[22] graduating to the position of finance committee chairman in 2016.[21] He oversaw the 2021 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships hosted in Edmonton, on behalf of the IIHF.[22]
Tardif was a late addition to the 2021 IIHF presidential race to succeed René Fasel.
Tardif stated his desire for the IIHF to resume activities halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, to combine Division 1A and Division 1B at the Ice Hockey World Championships to have a larger event, and to encourage top-tier coaches to teach in developing countries.[20] He campaigned for president with the goals of fighting doping in sport and racism, and to make the IIHF a non-political body.[22] He also stated a desire to make hockey a universal sport similar to soccer or basketball, and the research and development would be key components of growth.[21] He stated that expanding the IIHF's three-on-three ice hockey program was a priority, and targeting it to youth.[22] He felt that co-ordination of schedules for the Kontinental Hockey League and other European leagues would benefit the players in Olympic years.[22] He also sought for the National Hockey League to allow its players to participate in ice hockey at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and for the Olympics in China to encourage more players to participate in hockey across Asia.[21][29]
Personal life
During the late 1980s, Tardif studied to become a
Tardif has multiple citizenship of France and Canada.[20][21] He met his Belgian wife Dalila during his second season playing in Europe.[10][17] As of 2015, he has been married for 35 years, resides in Rouen, and has two daughters and one son.[10] His son Luc Tardif Jr. was a professional hockey player.[17] Tardif is also the father-in-law to hockey player, Jonathan Zwikel.[31]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Luc Tardif". eliteprospects.com. Everysport Media Group AB. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Luc Tardif". International Ice Hockey Federation. 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b c Lajoie, Réjean (10 February 1973). "La gloire sourit à Luc Tardif". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 20.
- ^ Lajoie, Réjean (1 May 1973). "La ligue Junior "A" du Québec fait connaître ses étoiles de la saison 72-73". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 20.
- ^ Poitras, André (25 January 1974). "Luc Tardif, la révélation des Patriotes". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 18.
- ^ "Lacoste, Tardif et Benoit chez les étoiles de l'ASUQ". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. 6 March 1974. p. 31.
- ^ "Les étoiles de l'ASUQ : Les Patriotes bien représentés". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. 26 February 1975. p. 31.
- ^ Pépin, Gaston (21 June 1974). "Luc Tardif avec les Maple Leafs". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 18.
- ^ Ducharme, Pierre (30 November 1974). "Luc Tardif n'a pas renoncé à une carrière professionnelle". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 22.
- ^ a b c d e f g King, Ronald (2 January 2015). "Le jour où les chinois..." lapresse.ca. La Presse. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "IIHF-verkiezingen met Belgisch tintje". rbihf.be. Koninklijke Belgische IJshockey Federatie. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Championnat des Pays-Bas 1975/76". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Championnat des Pays-Bas 1976/77". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Sport–Vacances". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. 6 July 1982. p. 19.
- ^ "Pierre Duval participera au pré-camp du Chamonix". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. 7 April 1981. p. 24.
- ^ Branchu, Marc; Naville, Rémy (2020). Chamonix Hockey Club 1910–2020. Pers-Jussy: Jussy Editions.
- ^ a b c d e f g Martin, Robert (17 February 2000). "Qui prend Dali, prend pays". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. pp. 1–2.
- ^ a b c d Jacquet, Nicolas (7 July 2011). "Luc Tardif, Québécois au cœur tricolore". Réseau des sports. Bell Média. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ L'Heureux, Serge (17 July 2004). "Luc Tardif à la tête du hockey français". Le Nouvelliste. Trois-Rivières. p. 30.
- ^ a b c Merk, Martin (25 September 2021). "Luc Tardif new IIHF President". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Lorange, Simon-Olivier (25 September 2021). "Luc Tardif dirigera la Fédération internationale". lapresse.ca. La Presse. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Leclerc, Martin (25 September 2021). "Nouveau président de l'IIHF, Luc Tardif est un homme fascinant". radio-canada.ca. Société Radio-Canada. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
- ^ Fourny, André-Arnaud (15 February 2019). "Coupe de France : une belle vitrine à Bercy". lequipe.fr. Groupe Amaury. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Le futur Clairefontaine du hockey à Cergy". leparisien.fr. Groupe Aumaury. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
- ^ "Pierre-Yves Gerbeau nouveau président de la Fédération française". lequipe.fr. Groupe Aumaury. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ a b Drouin, Simon (24 February 2014). "Un Québécois chez les Bleus". Le Soleil. Québec City: GESCA. p. 45.
- ^ @FranceOlympique (15 September 2021). "Brigitte Henriques et Luc Tardif co-présideront la commission olympique" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c "Luc Tardif: 'Diplomacy is needed'". francsjeux.com. Francs Jeux. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Luc Tardif élu président de la Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace". lequipe.fr. Groupe Amaury. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ Haest, Christophe (15 April 2011). "Interview : Jonathan Zwikel". hockeyhebdo.com. Média Sports Loisirs. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database