Why Napapiri Supports Frank González for IIHF President

Napapiri supports Frank González in his candidacy for President of the International Ice Hockey Federation. The IIHF has confirmed the Spanish ice-sports leader among the candidates who will stand in the federation’s election on 2 October 2026. We hope the member associations place their confidence in a man whose career covers almost every level of the game: player, national-team captain, referee, tournament director, facilities specialist and federation president.

This is an endorsement based on experience, not nationality alone. González has spent decades working both on the ice and in the rooms where decisions about the sport’s future are made. For Napapiri, a company that has designed and manufactured real-ice rinks since 1993, his practical understanding of players, competitions, facilities and developing hockey nations makes his candidacy especially compelling.

From Toronto ice to a place in Spanish hockey history

Francisco “Frank” González was born in Barcelona in 1955. His connection with ice hockey grew after his family moved to Toronto in 1964, when he was nine years old. There he played several sports and learned hockey in one of the game’s strongest cultures.

When he later returned to Barcelona, football might have become his path. According to a detailed 2026 profile by Mundo Deportivo, he trained with FC Barcelona’s youth football setup. At the same time, the club was completing the Palau de Gel. González demonstrated the hockey skills he had developed in Canada and joined Barça’s first ice hockey team.

He became the first person to skate on the Palau de Gel ice. He went on to play for FC Barcelona, Club Gel Puigcerdà and Casco Viejo Bilbao. His international career included captaincy of the Spanish national team and participation in Spain’s first IIHF World Championship appearance, in Copenhagen in 1977. Mundo Deportivo records 40 international games and 41 points for González.

That background matters. A federation president must understand what international decisions mean for the athlete entering the rink, the official managing the game, the club developing young players and the operator responsible for the playing surface. González has occupied all of those worlds.

A referee and international official

After his playing career, González became a national and international referee. He officiated from 1988 to 2002 and worked at 12 World Championships, according to the same career profile. In 1991, he began representing the Spanish federation within the IIHF, followed by a position on the IIHF committee responsible for World Championship structures from 1999 to 2002.

He then served on the IIHF Council from 2003 to 2016. His committee leadership covered three areas central to the sport’s future: development from 2003 to 2008, junior hockey from 2008 to 2012 and facilities from 2013 to 2020. He became an IIHF Life Member in 2016.

His international work has also been operational. The Royal Spanish Ice Sports Federation reported that the IIHF appointed him to preside over four World Championships during the 2017–18 season, including the World Junior Championship in Buffalo, the U18 World Championship in Russia and the senior World Championship in Denmark. In those assignments, the tournament president supervises the competition and carries responsibility for decisions needed during the event.

González also chaired tournament directorates at major championships. That work requires calm judgement, knowledge of regulations and an ability to bring together teams, organizers, officials and venue staff under pressure.

Leadership in a developing ice-sports nation

González served as vice-president of the Spanish ice federation from 2006 until 2014 and became president on 17 October 2014. His leadership has taken place in a country where ice sports must grow with fewer facilities and resources than are available in many traditional hockey nations.

The federation’s figures show measurable progress. When confirming his third presidential term in 2022, the RFEDH reported that registrations across Spain’s ice sports had increased by more than 1,000 during his first eight years in office and exceeded 2,200 in 2021. It also reported a 215% rise in female registrations, with more than 800 girls and women joining during that period, and more than €1 million invested in athlete-support programmes during the 2018–2022 cycle.

These results are significant because international hockey depends on more than its largest markets. Its future also lies in countries that are building participation, training coaches, improving facilities and creating realistic paths from a first skating session to international competition. González knows that process from direct experience.

In 2023, the Spanish Olympic Committee awarded González its Olympic Order, the organization’s highest distinction, in recognition of his dedication and career in the Olympic movement. The RFEDH announcement placed him among a group of fewer than 100 recipients at that time.

Why Napapiri supports Frank González

Ice hockey development begins with access to safe, reliable ice. Players cannot train, clubs cannot grow and communities cannot build lasting programmes without suitable rinks. González’s years leading the IIHF’s facilities work give him a practical understanding of that foundation.

He has seen the sport from both sides: inside established World Championship operations and inside a national federation working to expand ice sports with limited infrastructure. That combination is valuable. The IIHF needs leadership that respects hockey’s strongest traditions while giving developing member associations the tools, knowledge and attention required to progress.

Napapiri also values his long record of service. Since 1993, our own work has taken us into ice projects for events, municipalities, clubs and permanent skating facilities worldwide. We know that strong results come from technical knowledge, disciplined organization and cooperation between people who understand the ice at ground level. González’s career reflects those qualities.

Our support does not diminish the experience of the other candidates. The IIHF candidate announcement presents a substantial field for the 2026 election. González’s name, however, stands out to us because his record connects participation, officiating, championship management, facilities and national-federation leadership.

2 October 2026: an important choice for world hockey

The IIHF’s member national associations will make their choice on 2 October 2026. The official candidate list confirms González as a Spanish candidate for President, as well as for other senior and Council positions.

Napapiri hopes Frank González becomes the next President of the IIHF. We believe his lifelong experience, international service and understanding of the challenges facing developing hockey nations can help the federation strengthen the game from its largest championships to its newest rinks.

We wish Frank every success in the election and thank him for the work he has already given to ice hockey. World hockey deserves a president who knows the game from the playing surface upward. Frank González has built exactly that career.