Gordon Renwick helped Canada on world stage

Gordon Renwick — former Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president and member of the Order of Hockey in Canada — has died. He was 85.

Hockey Canada confirmed Renwick’s death Wednesday; no cause was given.

Renwick, from Cambridge, Ont., made his contributions off the ice, holding multiple roles domestically and internationally including vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation from 1986 to 1994.

One of Renwick’s major achievements was bringing the NHL and the IIHF into discussions about NHL participation in the Olympic Games, which eventually happened for the first time at the 1998 Nagano Games in Japan.

He served as chef-de-mission for European club teams visiting North America during 1970s, helping behind the scenes to create a Russia-Canada rivalry, and as the president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, which merged with Hockey Canada in 1994, from 1977 to ‘79.

He was named to the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2012 for his contributions to the growth and development of hockey in Canada.