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.

As the inaugural president of the FFHG from 2006 to 2021, he imposed a salary cap to prevent teams from filing for bankruptcy; oversaw expansion and upgrades of arenas in the Ligue Magnus, and relocation of the French Cup final to Paris to increase its attendance.

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.

[1][3] He was described by Le Nouvelliste as "possibly the most talented centre to come out of the area since René Robert", but did not stay with the Ducs due to his academic commitments and lack of physical play.

[10] 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.

[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.

[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.

[22][23] 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.

[24] 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.

[20] He campaigned for president with the goals of fighting doping in sport and racism, and to make the IIHF a non-political body.

[23] 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.

[22][30] During the late 1980s, Tardif studied to become a sales engineer in the construction business,[17] and had previously worked as a real estate agent.

[10] He was hired by Quille, the Grand-Ouest branch of the construction firm Bouygues,[17] and ascended to be the director of sales for the company.

[10] He oversaw and developed tenders for public and private building works, including his former Rouen team's new ice rink.