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No Canadians elected to world hockey governing body; Turkey, New Zealand represented
Katherine Henderson was eliminated in the second round as Hungary, Turkey and Poland won council seats and Canada lost its long-running presence.
On Friday, October 2, 2026, Hockey Canada CEO Katherine Henderson failed to secure a council seat at the International Ice Hockey Federation's semi-annual congress in Tenerife, Spain, leaving Canada without representation.
Canada had maintained IIHF Council representation since 1978, excluding a four-year gap from 1994-98 when American Walter Bush held the Americas vice-president position.
Hungary's Zsuzsanna Kolbenheyer, Turkey's Merve Tunali, and Poland's Marta Zawadzka won the council seats; Henderson was eliminated in the second of three rounds of voting.
Regionally, Canada will be represented by American Mike Trimboli, who was elected vice-president for the Americas and Oceania; the council added members from non-traditional hockey nations including New Zealand and Kyrgyzstan.
Germany's Franz Reindl was elected to replace outgoing president Luc Tardif, while Petr Briza of Czechia was re-elected senior vice-president; former Hockey Canada CEO Bob Nicholson did not seek re-election.