Patrick FRANCHETERRE

Paul Loicq Award

Born Lille, France, 19 November 1948

A career that started on ice, continued behind the bench, and endures to this day at the executive level, Patrick Francheterre has been involved in French hockey for the better part of half a century.

He started playing for Lille when he was 13 and joined Croix (its successor) in the pro ranks at the age of 18. At the end of his first season Francheterre played at his first World Championship, C Pool, in 1967. That fall, despite still being a teen, he was named player-coach for Croix, a position he held for the next 12 years.

Francheterre played in every World Championship for France between 1967 and 1977 (eight tournaments, all C Pool) as well as the 1968 Olympics on home ice, in Grenoble, the first time France had played in the Winter Games since 1936.

Induction Speech

Even during his playing days, Francheterre turned to coaching. He started as an assistant in 1979 for the national U20 team, and two years later he was head coach of France’s U18 team.

In the fall of 1984, Francheterre became player-coach of the Bordeaux hockey club, and a year later he was named national team coach, a position he assumed for two seasons. In 1985, France won C Pool under his guidance, and a year later, in B Pool, the team finished fourth and has never played lower than that since.

It was only in 1988 that he retired permanently as a player.

Continuing to succeed at the executive level, Francheterre became team director for France in 1992 and three years later the assistant sports director. In 1999, he became club president of Bordeaux, a position he held for two years

It was in 2001 that he started his involvement at the IIHF level, becoming the chairman for European tournaments. He has also worked on the IIHF’s technical commission and served as the general manager for France’s hockey teams at the Olympics and World Championships, from 1993 to 1997 and again from 2004 to 2014.