photo: © INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION / ANDRE RINGUETTE
On the morning of the medal game day, the IIHF Hall of Fame welcomed its seven newest members in a ceremony held at the Zurich Kongresshaus.
In 2026, the IIHF inducted six players — Andres Ambühl, Patrice Bergeron, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Niklas Kronwall, Florence Schelling, and Thomas Vanek — and two builders, Ralph Krueger and Luc Tardif.
Tardif, the IIHF President, also opened the ceremony.
“It’s always good to see that the Hall of Fame also needs a community around its members; coaches, teachers, and others. Here they can say thank you to everyone,” Tardif said.
A new IIHF Hall of Fame class is always historic, but this year, the IIHF Historical Committee took the unusual step of waiving the two-year waiting period for Andres Ambühl, who retired after the 2024-25 season. When Ambühl left the rink, he had played more World Championship games than any player (151), and his 20 World Championships is also a record that won’t be broken in the near future.
He was part of Switzerland’s silver-medal team at the U18 Worlds and later played on three of the nation’s four silver-medal-winning teams at the World Championship.
“Playing the game was my happy place. I felt so free playing hockey,” Ambühl said in his speech.
“Going to the World Championship was always the highlight of the season because, for a Swiss player of my generation, that was a unique opportunity to test yourself against the best,” he added.
Patrice Bergeron made IIHF history already as a teenager when he won a World Championship in 2004 before winning World Junior Championship gold in 2005. He’s also Triple Gold Club member number 25.
“This is not about me, it’s about all the people who’ve supported me along the way,” Bergeron said. “Hockey is the ultimate team game.”
Cassie Campbell-Pascall captained Canada at two Olympics and two Women’s Worlds. She is the only captain in history—male or female—to lead Team Canada to two Olympic gold medals. She won ten medals in IIHF women’s competitions, including eight gold.
“[Years ago,] my daughter came home from kindergarten, and she asked me if I had won some medals or something like her teacher had said,” Campbell-Pascall said, adding that she found the medals in a box somewhere.
Today, her daughter is a hockey player with career dreams of her own, and Campbell-Pascall’s legacy is felt even there.
“Imagine if I get to play in the PWHL, a league you helped start,” she had told her mother as the two watched the league final together.
Tre Kronor defender Kronwall is member number 20 of the Triple Gold Club. He won Olympic and World Championship gold in 2006, and the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.
Kronwall was named MVP of the 2006 World Championship, leading Sweden in scoring with ten points in eight games.
“For me, hockey is more than just a sport. Losing my father when I was eleven, hockey became the place where I could be just me. I also found role models there,” Kronwall said.
“The values you learn in hockey set you up for the rest of your life,” he added.
Florence Schelling started her international career in 2004 at the age of 15, and by the time she retired 15 years later, she had played in more games at the Women’s World Championship (44), more minutes (2,578:35), and won more games (21) than any other netminder in history.
In her career, she played in 63 of a possible 70 games for her country and led Switzerland to an Olympic bronze medal in 2014. She was named tournament MVP.
“When I was three, I told my parents I wanted to play hockey. They told me girls didn’t play hockey, and apparently, my reply was, ‘I don’t care,’” Schelling said.
When she was later told that women’s hockey wasn’t in the Olympics, she announced that, in that case, she’d be going with the men’s team, but she was definitely going to play in the Olympics.
Schelling reminisced that for most of her career, she was the only girl on a boys’ team.
“If I played well, I was one of the players, but if I didn’t, I was back to being a girl on a boys’ team. That taught me to just focus on the things I can control,” she said.
Thomas Vanek is the greatest player ever to come out of Austria. He represented his country at every opportunity and played at the 2014 Olympics—where he also served as team captain—and three World Championships between 2004 and 2013. He was also the first Austrian to wear the “C” for an NHL team, in Buffalo.
“The dream was to play for my club team, and hopefully represent my country,” Vanek said.
“I moved to Canada at 14, I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t even know what I was chasing. When I told people I was from Austria, they said, ‘Wow, kangaroos,’” he joked.
Day by day, shift by shift, and goal by goal, Vanek put Austria on the hockey map.
Former Switzerland head coach Ralph Krueger was inducted as a Builder.
Between 1963 and 1997, the Swiss played in the World Championship A Pool only six times in 35 years, but under Krueger they remained in the top division every year. In 1998, newly promoted Switzerland finished fourth, losing the bronze-medal game to the Czechs but still recording their best finish in 45 years.
In all, Krueger coached the national team at 12 World Championships and three Olympics, departing after the 2010 Olympics. He was also the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres, as well as Team Europe, which sensationally made the World Cup of Hockey final in 2016.
“Who would’ve thought that when that five-year-old with long, bushy hair, born to German immigrants, stepped on the ice and took his first strides, it would lead to this,” Krueger said.
“Thank you, hockey, for filling my life with so much passion. Hockey filled my life with inspiration and motivation — and what a life I’ve had,” he added.
The other Builder in the 2026 class was Luc Tardif, who became the 14th IIHF President in 2021. Tardif also served with the French federation, on the 2017 World Championship organizing committee, and as the IIHF Treasurer.
“When the Historical Committee made the original selection in 2025, I wasn’t among the inductees, but when I announced that I would not seek re-election, a member of the committee suggested that I be inducted,” he said.
“I felt like an intruder, but I finally accepted the honor.”
Tardif said he wanted a France sweater because he has made his career as a builder in Europe. He got his start the usual way.
“My kids’ team didn’t have a coach, so I became that,” he said.
He subsequently became the president of the minor hockey association, and after that, he was asked to become the president of the French ice sports federation. In 2006, Tardif spearheaded the foundation of the French Ice Hockey Federation.
“I’ll be involved with the 2030 Olympics and help the French federation with the 2028 World Championship,” Tardif said. “I will never be far away from hockey.”
In 2026, the IIHF inducted six players — Andres Ambühl, Patrice Bergeron, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Niklas Kronwall, Florence Schelling, and Thomas Vanek — and two builders, Ralph Krueger and Luc Tardif.
Tardif, the IIHF President, also opened the ceremony.
“It’s always good to see that the Hall of Fame also needs a community around its members; coaches, teachers, and others. Here they can say thank you to everyone,” Tardif said.
A new IIHF Hall of Fame class is always historic, but this year, the IIHF Historical Committee took the unusual step of waiving the two-year waiting period for Andres Ambühl, who retired after the 2024-25 season. When Ambühl left the rink, he had played more World Championship games than any player (151), and his 20 World Championships is also a record that won’t be broken in the near future.
He was part of Switzerland’s silver-medal team at the U18 Worlds and later played on three of the nation’s four silver-medal-winning teams at the World Championship.
“Playing the game was my happy place. I felt so free playing hockey,” Ambühl said in his speech.
“Going to the World Championship was always the highlight of the season because, for a Swiss player of my generation, that was a unique opportunity to test yourself against the best,” he added.
Patrice Bergeron made IIHF history already as a teenager when he won a World Championship in 2004 before winning World Junior Championship gold in 2005. He’s also Triple Gold Club member number 25.
“This is not about me, it’s about all the people who’ve supported me along the way,” Bergeron said. “Hockey is the ultimate team game.”
Cassie Campbell-Pascall captained Canada at two Olympics and two Women’s Worlds. She is the only captain in history—male or female—to lead Team Canada to two Olympic gold medals. She won ten medals in IIHF women’s competitions, including eight gold.
“[Years ago,] my daughter came home from kindergarten, and she asked me if I had won some medals or something like her teacher had said,” Campbell-Pascall said, adding that she found the medals in a box somewhere.
Today, her daughter is a hockey player with career dreams of her own, and Campbell-Pascall’s legacy is felt even there.
“Imagine if I get to play in the PWHL, a league you helped start,” she had told her mother as the two watched the league final together.
Tre Kronor defender Kronwall is member number 20 of the Triple Gold Club. He won Olympic and World Championship gold in 2006, and the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.
Kronwall was named MVP of the 2006 World Championship, leading Sweden in scoring with ten points in eight games.
“For me, hockey is more than just a sport. Losing my father when I was eleven, hockey became the place where I could be just me. I also found role models there,” Kronwall said.
“The values you learn in hockey set you up for the rest of your life,” he added.
Florence Schelling started her international career in 2004 at the age of 15, and by the time she retired 15 years later, she had played in more games at the Women’s World Championship (44), more minutes (2,578:35), and won more games (21) than any other netminder in history.
In her career, she played in 63 of a possible 70 games for her country and led Switzerland to an Olympic bronze medal in 2014. She was named tournament MVP.
“When I was three, I told my parents I wanted to play hockey. They told me girls didn’t play hockey, and apparently, my reply was, ‘I don’t care,’” Schelling said.
When she was later told that women’s hockey wasn’t in the Olympics, she announced that, in that case, she’d be going with the men’s team, but she was definitely going to play in the Olympics.
Schelling reminisced that for most of her career, she was the only girl on a boys’ team.
“If I played well, I was one of the players, but if I didn’t, I was back to being a girl on a boys’ team. That taught me to just focus on the things I can control,” she said.
Thomas Vanek is the greatest player ever to come out of Austria. He represented his country at every opportunity and played at the 2014 Olympics—where he also served as team captain—and three World Championships between 2004 and 2013. He was also the first Austrian to wear the “C” for an NHL team, in Buffalo.
“The dream was to play for my club team, and hopefully represent my country,” Vanek said.
“I moved to Canada at 14, I didn’t speak English, and I didn’t even know what I was chasing. When I told people I was from Austria, they said, ‘Wow, kangaroos,’” he joked.
Day by day, shift by shift, and goal by goal, Vanek put Austria on the hockey map.
Former Switzerland head coach Ralph Krueger was inducted as a Builder.
Between 1963 and 1997, the Swiss played in the World Championship A Pool only six times in 35 years, but under Krueger they remained in the top division every year. In 1998, newly promoted Switzerland finished fourth, losing the bronze-medal game to the Czechs but still recording their best finish in 45 years.
In all, Krueger coached the national team at 12 World Championships and three Olympics, departing after the 2010 Olympics. He was also the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres, as well as Team Europe, which sensationally made the World Cup of Hockey final in 2016.
“Who would’ve thought that when that five-year-old with long, bushy hair, born to German immigrants, stepped on the ice and took his first strides, it would lead to this,” Krueger said.
“Thank you, hockey, for filling my life with so much passion. Hockey filled my life with inspiration and motivation — and what a life I’ve had,” he added.
The other Builder in the 2026 class was Luc Tardif, who became the 14th IIHF President in 2021. Tardif also served with the French federation, on the 2017 World Championship organizing committee, and as the IIHF Treasurer.
“When the Historical Committee made the original selection in 2025, I wasn’t among the inductees, but when I announced that I would not seek re-election, a member of the committee suggested that I be inducted,” he said.
“I felt like an intruder, but I finally accepted the honor.”
Tardif said he wanted a France sweater because he has made his career as a builder in Europe. He got his start the usual way.
“My kids’ team didn’t have a coach, so I became that,” he said.
He subsequently became the president of the minor hockey association, and after that, he was asked to become the president of the French ice sports federation. In 2006, Tardif spearheaded the foundation of the French Ice Hockey Federation.
“I’ll be involved with the 2030 Olympics and help the French federation with the 2028 World Championship,” Tardif said. “I will never be far away from hockey.”