BY IRA PODELL
AP Hockey Writer

NEW YORK(AP) -- Tom Renney is bracing himself for his first game
against the New York Rangers since being fired as their coach
less than a year ago.

Now an associate coach with the Edmonton Oilers under Pat Quinn,
Renney will be on the opposing bench when the Rangers come to
town Thursday night.

"I'm going to have a hard time looking at the logo and not
identifying with it," said Renney, who spent four years as
Rangers coach before being dismissed in February. "I'm going to
see familiar faces and be happy to see them again and all that
kind of stuff, but I want to beat them. There is no question
about that."

Always a diplomat, Renney didn't leave New York yelling and
screaming and pointing fingers. He thanked general manager Glen
Sather for giving him the job after a not-so-good first
head-coaching stint with the Vancouver Canucks.

Without complaining, Renney merely lamented not getting the
opportunity to get the Rangers out of the 2-7-3 slide that cost
him his job.

"I didn't see the end coming because I really and truly believed
that we would turn it around," Renney said Tuesday when the
Oilers visited Long Island. "You're never that naive where you
don't think that anything can happen at any time, that's always
there, but not to the point where it consumes you or disrupts
your ability to pay attention to your job and be yourself.

"I really felt we would get the opportunity to do it right, to
correct it. ... I really felt like quite honestly the team was
ready to respond again."

Renney was immediately replaced by John Tortorella, whose
bombastic style is in direct contrast to Renney's more
mild-mannered tone.

Whether a swift kick was necessary to jump-start the team is
open for debate, but with a few late-season roster additions,
New York made it to the playoffs. The Rangers even had a 3-1
series lead over Washington in the first round, before letting
it slip away in a disappointing seven-game loss.

"I think I was certainly treated fairly. I love Glen," Renney
said. "I really wanted Glen to have success. I wanted him to be
proud of his team, proud of me, and that's the biggest
disappointment of all."

Renney served many roles with the Rangers during his nine years.
He spent two seasons as the team's director of player personnel
in which he oversaw the amateur scouting operation, he moved up
to vice president of player development in 2002, and became
interim head coach in February 2004.

The interim title was dropped that summer, and Renney posted a
164-117-0-46 mark as head coach. He led the team to three
straight 40-win seasons and three consecutive playoff
appearances after a seven-season absence.

Renney admitted he is somewhat relieved his first game against
the Rangers is in Edmonton and not Madison Square Garden.

"Yeah, kinda. I loved it here. I was disappointed to go," he
said. "I really identified with the city. I went through a life
experience as only the people here could have with 9/11 and I
really felt like I was part of it all. It's too bad, but I'm
good.

"Believe me, I'm not sitting here crying over spilled milk or
anything like that. I'm really great and life is good, there is
no question about that, but I really enjoyed it here."

Renney never really considered taking another job with the
Rangers. In his core he is a coach, and a head coach at that.

He said only the opportunity to work with Quinn, who as
Vancouver Canucks GM hired him as coach in 1996, convinced him
to take an associate coaching role.

Renney left the Rangers with a lot more confidence in his
ability behind the bench than he did when he was let go by the
Canucks.

"I will be honest with you, it is different," he said. "I think
I learned that I'm a pretty good coach. Coming out of Vancouver,
I came out of there wondering am I right? I was certainly
disheartened and disappointed.

"I didn't have that feeling this time. I honestly felt like I
could turn it around. And why wouldn't you feel that way? If you
don't feel that way, then don't take the job."

Renney said he had two vociemail messages waiting for him the
day he was introduced with Quinn and the new Oilers coaching
staff.

At some point, whether it is in Edmonton or somewhere else,
Renney would like to again be a head coach. He is proud of his
accomplishments, though he regrets how the Rangers let a playoff
series slip away against Buffalo in 2007.

New York never advanced past the second round under Renney.

"Sure you evaluate this thing and that thing and you look at
yourself," he said. "I don't think I ever found myself really
(angry). We were hurt, my family more than anybody, and I took
this opportunity to show my wife and my girls what standing tall
looks like and what taking a shot looks like and having the
dignity to deal with that and not throw people under the bus and
just deal with it head-on.

"I was the head coach, period. And that's that. I looked at it
as an opportunity to help my kids understand that life isn't
always what appears to be fair and you've got to go with it."