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Tom Renney is a hockey man, not a businessman. He once ran a clothing store in Trail, B.C., along with his wife but since then his life has been immersed in coaching. So when Hockey Canada was searching for a new president and CEO and Renney emerged as serious candidate, the 59-year-old didnt put on a masquerade. "(Business is) not where his passion lies," Team Canada coach Mike Babcock said. "And its not where his expertise lies. One thing about Tom: He knows what he is and he knows what hes not." Renney above all else is a respected hockey man, and his decades of experience at the amateur, international and professional levels ultimately made him Hockey Canadas choice to replace Bob Nicholson. What separated Renney from other candidates, board of directors chairman Jim Hornell said, was his values base, connections throughout the sport and passion to grow the game. "Hes a people person, he connects well, he communicates well with people and certainly hes recognized not only in Canada but throughout the hockey world, and thats important," Hornell said on a conference call Tuesday. "Its important that we have someone who is knowledgeable in hockey but who is also recognized in hockey and can bring a team together." Around the NHL, where Renney has worked in various coaching and player personnel jobs for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings, the Cranbook, B.C., native is lauded for his ability to bridge gaps and build a consensus. "Hes as well-connected as anybody in hockey, for starters, which really helps," Rangers general manager Glen Sather said in a phone interview. "I dont think theres anyone in the hockey business who would have a bad thing to say about Tom." Renney most recently worked as an associate coach on Babcocks staff in Detroit. Red Wings GM Ken Holland said that hire was a "no-brainer" and felt the same about his hiring by Hockey Canada because of his wealth of experience. Babcock, who has led Team Canada to back-to-back Olympic gold medals, said Hockey Canada "absolutely hit it out of the park" by hiring Renney. "Tom Renney treats people right, a hundred per cent integrity. When hes wrong, he owns his own garbage," Babcock said in a phone interview. "I was happy for Canadian hockey, because to me they got themselves a real good man whos been through all the steps, can speak to people and knows whats important in the game. Hes going to help grow our game again, and I think thats so important." The Hockey Canada that Renney inherits in 2014 is one that Hornell emphasized is "on a very solid foundation" thanks to work done since 1998 by Nicholson, who resigned in April. Among Renneys new challenges is to make hockey a more affordable sport for Canadian children and to maintain interest in it beyond the youth level. "I want to pay particular attention to development, I want to pay particular attention to grassroots hockey," Renney said at a news conference in Calgary. "I want people to participate in the game for the right reasons, and that means doing the right thing. Little people have to want to play this game, older people have to want to continue to play it, and when you get to that great old age of whatever it is, you want to play it as a lifetime sport." Hockey has been a lifetime endeavour for Renney, who began coaching in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League before moving on to win two WHL titles and a Memorial Cup with the Kamloops Blazers in the early 1990s. He was the coach of Canadas national team for two years after that, including at the 1994 Olympics. Renneys NHL experience included being head coach of the Canucks, Rangers and Oilers. While with New York, he also served as director of player personnel and vice-president of player development. If there was any doubt Renney was just a coach, he quashed it. "Hes one of the most analytical guys that I know and well-organized, persistent," Sather said. "Ive always looked to hire somebody thats smarter than me. He was one of those guys that I was quite sure that he was." In the decade since, Renney went from associate coach of the Oilers to head coach to an associate for the past two seasons with the Red Wings. Even though he never led a team beyond the conference final, his strengths kept him as a hot commodity in the game. "Hes coached our Olympic team, he started in grassroots hockey, he played college hockey," Babcock said. "Hes just flat-out done it all, and he doesnt get tired. All he thinks about is hockey. Hes 24/7 hockey, thats what he loves." On the international stage, Renney was vice-president of hockey operations for Hockey Canada from 1997 to 1999 and on three occasions was on the coaching staff at world championships. Holland recalled presentations Renney made to international coaches, too, as even more evidence of experience and his stature within hockey circles. "Hes going to respect people, hes going to respect the game and in return he gets that respect back," Holland said in a phone interview. "He knows everybody in the game, and if he doesnt know them, as soon as he introduces himself because of what hes accomplished and because of his experiences, because hes a classy, first-class person, hes very comfortable in talking to people." Renney is not arrogant but confident about his business background, even if its restricted to a clothing shop in Trail with his wife, Glenda, where he dealt with the ebb and flow of pricing and learned how to balance budgets and maintain relationships with customers. "There isnt a lot that can get done in this day and age without a good business plan, so I very much have my head around that," Renney said. "I know that I come into a situation that has enormous capital in terms of its people potential here and the work thats been done in the past. Im thankful for that quite honestly because as you can appreciate as more of an operations/coach background, this is really important to me to be surrounded by terrific people, which I am, to help push forward our business plan, if you will, and enhance it." Renney, who will get help from chief operation officer Scott Smith, isnt as business savvy as Nicholson, who last month became vice-chairman of Oilers Entertainment Group. Through an Oilers spokesman, Nicholson deferred comment until later in the week so as not to interfere with Renneys big day. The expectations on Renney are much different. "Weve done great work in the past and Toms job is to take us into a new era," Hornell said. "His passion for the game came through through the entire process and were just looking for him now to hit the ground running and will take Hockey Canada to the next level." Adidas Nmd Trainers Uk Sale . As analysts we do the same thing, so here are some observations from week one. First there were two major upsets. I should say, major upsets in the eyes of the fans and prognosticators. Wholesale Adidas Nmd r1 Uk .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/nmd-r2-trainers-outlet-deals.html . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. Discount Adidas Nmd . Paul George and Darren Collison each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert added 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers (9-3), who won their third straight. Ultra Boost Trainers Uk . - Kyle Wood and Barclay Goodrow scored second period power-play goals to provide all of the scoring for the North Bay Battalion in a 2-0 victory over the Erie Otters in Ontario Hockey League action on Thursday. TUCSON, Ariz. -- The McKale Center crowd buzzed in the minutes before the opening tip, more like a post-season game than another conference game. With support like that, its not hard for top-ranked Arizona to get off to a fast start. Charged by the mojo created inside one of college basketballs best home-court advantages, the Wildcats raced out to a big lead and held on down the stretch to remain unbeaten with a 69-57 win over Colorado on Thursday night. "This is why we love McKale; we feel like its like this all the time," said Arizona forward Brandon Ashley, who had 15 points. Arizona (19-0, 6-0 Pac-12) had a week off after blowing out rival Arizona State and was still in a groove early, building a 14-point lead in the opening six minutes. The big lead allowed the Wildcats some leeway in the second half when things didnt go quite as well. Arizona struggled from the perimeter, making 3 of 15 from 3-point range, had a rare night when it didnt outrebound the opposition (32-32) and missed three free throws in the closing 72 seconds to keep the game from becoming a rout. The Wildcats pulled it out thanks to the big start and 44 points in the paint, allowing them to tie -- with the 1992-93 and 1997-98 teams -- for the longest winning streak in school history. Nick Johnson led Arizona with 18 points and Aaron Gordon added 12. "Our second half maybe wasnt as good as our first, but there are always good lessons to be learned from that and still leave with the win," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. A year after nearly pulling off an upset in the desert, Colorado (15-5, 4-3) had no chance for late-game heroics in its third game without leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie. The Buffaloes struggled to slow Arizonas bevy of scorers and couldnt shoot their way out of the big early hole, falling to 0-16 all-time against No. 1 teams. Xavier Johnson led Colorado with 21 points and Josh Scott added 15 with 11 rebounds. "We dug ourselves a hole," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "We had trouble scoring the ball and they made shots. We didnt have an offensive rhythm all night. The Buffaloes split their first two games withoout Dinwiddie, losing to UCLA and beating Southern California after the junior sustained a season-ending left knee injury against Washington on Jan.dddddddddddd 12. Arizona was a much stiffer challenge without Dinwiddie, Colorados scoring and assists leader. The nations top-ranked team for seven straight weeks, Arizona entered the game fifth in scoring defence (56.7 points) and shooting percentage against (37 per cent) and was 22nd at defending 3-pointers (29 per cent). Colorado needed someone to step up and no one was able to do it early against Arizonas relentless pressure. Barely able to get passes off much less good shots, the Buffaloes missed their first five shots and had four turnovers in the opening six minutes. Arizona also missed its first five shots, but started dropping them in from all over, building a quick 18-4 lead. The Buffaloes settled down for a little bit, cutting the lead to six with a 10-2 run. All that seemed to do was make the Wildcats play harder. Ratcheting the defensive pressure back up, Arizona hounded the Buffaloes into more missed shots and turnovers, leading to breakouts and 3-pointers at the other end. Starting with a 12-2 run, the Wildcats built the halftime lead to 39-24, holding Colorado to 8-of-27 shooting while forcing nine turnovers. Johnson had 12 at the half and Ashley nine. "We do what weve been doing, just focusing on the process of Arizona basketball and thats just a little glimpse of what we can do," Gordon said. Colorado had a little more success shooting to start the second half, hitting three of its first four shots. Problem was, the Buffaloes couldnt stop the Wildcats. Arizona hit its first six shots, including one by Ashley that bounced off Scott and into the basket and a reverse dunk off a spin move by Gordon that put the Wildcats up 51-31. The Wildcats made 12 of 22 shots in the second half to prevent Colorado from cutting the lead under double digits. "We were playing the No. 1 team in the nation, but they werent that good," Xavier Johnson said. "We didnt come in here with the (right) mindset and its hard coming into this atmosphere." ' ' '