CALGARY -- Bob Nicholsons advice to his successor at Hockey Canada is be as comfortable having a beer with a minor hockey coach in Kindersley, Sask., as you are in the New York office of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. From the 3,500 minor hockey associations across the country to the highest halls of hockey power, Nicholsons ability to establish, build and maintain connections turned Hockey Canada into a powerful sports organization. After 16 years as president and chief executive officer, Nicholsons last day on the job was spent presiding over the organizations annual general meeting in Calgary. "There are so many partnerships you have to work on," Nicholson said Saturday. "Thats how you grow the business side of the game and how you grow the game itself." His successor will be chosen by Hockey Canadas board of directors. Its a job of many moving parts that includes player, coach and official development programs, national teams, corporate sales and marketing, licensing, insurance, regulations and building consensus among 13 provincial branches. Nicholsons parting instructions also included tapping into Canadas multicultural population. "We need to figure out how to deal with new Canadians," he explained. "We need to be more flexible. We cant just register kids from September to April. We should have two or three hockey seasons. "The families are changing. We cant continue to do things we did in the 70s, 80s and 90s. There has to be change." There was a lot of that during Nicholsons tenure. The 60-year-old from Penticton, B.C., started with B.C. Hockey before joining Hockey Canada as vice-president in 1990. Hockey Canada and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association merged in 1994 and Nicholson became president in 1998. "The reason there was a merger was both organizations were bankrupt," Nicholson recalled. The non-profit organization is now an operation of approximately $45 million annually due in large part to marketing and packaging of Canadas passion, as well as turning the organization into a brand. "The easiest way to describe that was when I started as president we had 20 staff and we have 127 staff today. Our budgets were $5 million total," Nicholson said. "We just really took the mark and built partnerships." A prime example is the world mens under-20 hockey championship that is a major contributor to the coffers. Hockey Canada parlayed the annual tournaments growing popularity into lucrative sponsorships and a large television contract with TSN. The money goes not only to Hockey Canada, but to the Canadian Hockey League that supplies a large number of players to the tournament as well as minor hockey associations who develop them. Nicholson struck a deal with the International Ice Hockey Federation to bring the tournament to Canada every two years starting in 2015. Its also been held in Canada three of the last five years. "The world juniors and the womens worlds, those are a real staple in this country and theyre a big part of the tradition and also the financial side of it," Nicholson said. Canada has won both mens and womens Olympic hockey gold in back-to-back Winter Games. The 2002 mens hockey team, assembled by Wayne Gretzky, won gold to end a 50-year drought at the Winter Olympics. Canadian teams have won 44 gold at world championships, Olympics and World Cups on Nicholsons watch. "Look at the people hes brought into our organization, whether its high-end professional staff or people like Wayne Gretzky and Steve Yzerman," Hockey Canada chairman Jim Hornell said. "His capacity to bring people into our organization is huge and that will live on." Registration rose from 519,000 in 1998 when Nicholson took over to 634,892 this past season. Much of that growth has come in the female game with an increase from 29,000 to almost 90,000 today. Nicholson has also been front and centre on thorny issues. In the wake of revelations that junior hockey coach Graham James sexually abused players, a Speak Out program was established in 1997 to help prevent abuse and bullying in sport. When to introduce bodychecking in minor hockey has been a source of continual and fractious debate. Concussions in hockey are problematic for the long-term health of players. Nicholson emphasized safety in his final address at the AGM. "Everything you do, do it for the player," he said. "Its not about the turf youre representing or the area of the country you live in. Do whats best for the player. Player safety, those terms are all changing. We have to change with the time. "I really believe when I look back 10 years from now, this organization is going to go to a whole other level. As long as you continue to focus on the players, making sure players play this game safe, Canada will always be the country that carries this game worldwide." Establishing an initiation program to introduce children age five and six to hockey is part of Nicholsons legacy. He also oversaw the move of Hockey Canadas headquarters from Father David Bauer Arena at the University of Calgary to the WinSport at Canada Olympic Park. His first day off the job Sunday was to be spent golfing in Penticton. Nicholson will continue as a IIHF vice-president. Speculation is the NHL will come calling. "I dont know," Nicholson said. "In fairness Ive got a lot of options on my table. I told everyone I wasnt going to speak until June 1. Im going to have to deal with some things and see where it goes." Easton Stick Jersey . 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The Devils hope to build off Thursdays win when they welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets in Saturdays Metropolitan Division clash at Prudential Center. Jacob Josefson ended the Devils NHL-record string of 18 consecutive shootout losses, beating Winnipegs Ondrej Pavelec with a head fake for New Jerseys first SO win since March 10, 2013, also against the Jets. The clubs breakaway woes loomed large last season when the Devils finished only five points out of a playoff spot while losing all 13 of its shootouts. The 2-1 win over the Jets also marked New Jerseys first home win of 2014-15, as it improved to 1-1-2 as the host. It was our first home win of the season, and first shootout win in what feels like 10 years, said Devils head coach Peter DeBoer. So we got a couple monkeys off our back and can move forward; it was a big two points. Josefson was the second shooter for New Jersey in the decisive phase of Thursdays game. After Damien Brunner hit the post for the Devils on their first attempt, Josefsons fake sent Pavelec to the ice and gave him plenty of net to shoot at and the 23-year-old Swede calmly wristed the puck over Winnipegs netminder for the lead. It was a classic head fake, Josefson said of his winner. I went to the side and just tried to get it up. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider followed Josefsons tally by stopping both Andrew Ladd and Bryan Little to get Jersey an elusive shootout victory. Michael Ryder tied the game with 3:27 remaining in regulation, and Schneider made 24 saves through overtime. Schneider will get the call in net on Saturday and is 7-2-1 with a 2.05 goals against averrage in 10 career games against Columbus.dddddddddddd The Devils will close their three-game homestand Tuesday when St. Louis visits Newark. The Blue Jackets are hoping for a win tonight after losing their fourth straight games in regulation on Friday. Columbus has been plagued by injuries in the early going and the ailments are clearly affecting the club on the ice. The Blues Jackets have played the whole season so far without forwards Brandon Dubinsky, Nathan Horton and Boone Jenner and top goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky recently went down with a fractured finger. And thats only the tip of the iceberg for the Jackets, as Artem Anisimov, Matt Calvert, Mark Letestu and James Wisniewski are also among Columbus walking wounded. The injury list could be even longer tonight as forward Corey Tropp is questionable for Saturday with an illness. The hobbled Blue Jackets hosted Toronto on Friday and were dealt a 4-1 setback by the Maple Leafs. Phil Kessel and Daniel Winnik both had a goal and two assists to allow Toronto to breeze past Columbus at Nationwide Arena. Curtis McElhinney allowed four goals on 27 shots as Columbus lost for the sixth time in eight games since beginning the season 2-0. We didnt generate nearly enough 5-on-5, said Blue Jackets head coach Todd Richards. Richards could go with Anton Forsberg in net tonight. The 21-year-old Swede has served as the backup to both Bobrovsky and McElhinney this season, but has yet to make his NHL debut. Jersey has won six of the last nine meetings against the Blue Jackets, but Columbus did win the first three encounters of 2013-14 before the Devils notched a 5-2 home win on Feb. 27. The Blue Jackets are 1-4-1 with a tie in seven all-time trips to the Garden State. 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