SOCHI, Russia – Since that highly-anticipated day in early January when he was officially named to the Canadian Olympic team, the nerves have not stopped pumping for John Tavares. Danny Ainge Celtics Jersey . "I think Ive had em for about a month," he said. "As much as the travels been tough, I think [youre] losing a lot of sleep just because youre so anxious and so excited." Four years ago in Vancouver, it was a then-21-year-old Jonathan Toews who emerged from the lower ranks of a powerhouse roster to steer Canada to gold. Nerves aside, could the 23-year-old Tavares prove a similar dark-horse in the Canadians bid for back-to-back golds in Sochi? Save for the incomparable Sidney Crosby, no Canadian player enters the tournament with more impressive recent credentials than the captain of the New York Islanders. Tucked just behind Crosby and eventual winner Alex Ovechkin in the 2013 Hart Trophy race, Tavares has only continued his rise up the NHL ranks this season. He is now third in league scoring after a 20-point month of January which matched Phil Kessel for the league lead. In fact, only Kessel has more points (28) in 2014 than the Toronto native (22), who is on pace for a career-high 33 goals and 91 points. "I think my mindset is just to go out there and play the best I can and contribute where Im asked in the role Im asked to play in," said Tavares, who, like Toews in Vancouver, is among the younger Canadian Olympians in Sochi. "If that leads to more opportunity, responsibility thats great, but at the end of the day, its about winning one game [Thursday] and building off that and going onto the next one and hopefully, obviously to win a gold medal." Toews was Canadas 13th forward at the outset of the Games in 2010 and though Tavares enters the tournament on a first-unit power-play – alongside Crosby and Chris Kunitz – he is stationed to start Thursdays opener against Norway on a prospective bottom forward unit with fellow Olympic rookie Jamie Benn and vet Patrice Bergeron. With dangerous offensive weaponry, experience on the big ice and versatility, Tavares looks to be a prime option to rise in the lineup if chemistry elsewhere fails to materialize. The Canadian coaching staff, led by Mike Babcock, has promised that patience in that respect will be short. "Its a competitive environment," Babcock said, "and we expect our guys to compete for their ice-time." Though he has yet to appear at the Olympics, Tavares does hold excellent credentials in past appearances on the international stage. He has amassed 16 goals in 22 world championship games, adding 15 points alone in the 2009 world juniors. During the most recent NHL lockout, he produced 17 goals and 42 points in 28 games with Bern of the Swiss league. A natural centre, it was during that stint overseas that he played mostly left wing, offering Babcock versatility with a glut of centres on the roster. He even advised Tavares of that possibility during the summer orientation camp in Calgary. "Those are all things that I can draw on, experience-wise," Tavares said of his international forays. "I think the more youve played on [the big ice], the more youve been in it, the better understanding you have." For Tavares to snatch more opportunity, hell have to make the most of limited ice. Canadian executive director Steve Yzerman said earlier this week that the greatest challenge facing his group of Olympians was not the larger Olympic ice dimensions but the difficulty of making the most of a shrunken role. "He really has to park his ego at the door," said assistant coach Ken Hitchcock, speaking generally about the roster at large. "You have to understand that when its your time and its your time to go, go! Dont sit there and wonder what the coach is thinking, dont sit there and think am I going to get on the ice?, whats my family thinking?, when its your turn to go, go. "Whatever youve got, give us quality and forget about the quantity. Youve got to park the quality right up front and youve got to forget about the quantity because its not going to be the same. No player is going to play the minutes that he plays in the NHL. It isnt even going to be close. Youve got to park it." Toews averaged fewer than 15 minutes in Vancouver and yet finished as the tournaments top forward and Canadas leading scorer. He also helped shut down Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin in a dominant quarterfinal win over Russia. "Theres no time to look around and be wide-eyed," Toews advised of his mindset in 2010. "Youve got to go out there and play and just let it happen. Thats what the Olympics is all about. Theres not much time to adjust." A potent weapon, both as a sniper and playmaker – he is nearing a career-high in assists – Tavares can also be of aid to the Canada power play. The first overall pick from the 2009 draft is tied for fourth in power play points this season, trailing only Crosby, Ovechkin and the league-leader, Nicklas Backstrom. "You understand the responsibility of coming here and having to accept your role," Tavares said. "So youll be ready whenever your names called to go over [the boards] and execute." Custom Boston Celtics Jerseys .C. Lions signed cornerback Dante Marsh to a contract extension on Friay and released receiver Paris Jackson. Gordon Hayward Jersey . Moors, from Cambridge Ont., landed a double-twisting, double somersault in the layout position, en route to a score of 14.600 points in the womens floor exercise, more than a full point ahead of runner-up Pia Tolle of Germany. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-kevin-mchale-celtics-jersey/ . His brother — Red Lake chiropractor Richard Radford — is en route to Sochi to cheer on his younger brother. "Ive been getting texts from Eric and he just says the atmosphere is amazing, its special,” he said.LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears hired New Orleans Saints executive Ryan Pace as general manager Thursday to replace the fired Phil Emery, hoping he can rejuvenate a franchise that just missed the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. Pace spent 14 seasons with the Saints and helped build a Super Bowl champion. He was New Orleans director of player personnel the past two years, helping manage their pro and college scouting operations. He also served as the teams director of pro scouting from 2007 to 2012. He will join a team coming off a miserable, 5-11 season. The Bears quickly fell out of contention in the NFC North, costing Emery and coach Marc Trestman their jobs, and had all sorts of distractions derail a season that began with legitimate thoughts of a playoff berth. The Bears also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, who spent 12 years in Chicago working under Emery and his predecessor Jerry Angelo, along with Tennessee Titans vice-president of player personnel Lake Dawson and Houston Texans director of pro personnel Brian Gaine. As for the coaching job, the Bears have interviewed Seattle defensive co-ordinator Dan Quinn and Denver offensive co-ordinator Adam Gase for that position. The Bears must decide if theyre going to stick with quarterback Jay Cutler after the offence took a big step backward and do something about a defence that has ranked among the leagues worst the past two years. Pace, who grew up in Texas and played defensive end at Eastern Illinois in the late 1990s, has a daunting task as he tries to rebuild the team and win back fans after they stayed away from Soldier Field by the thousands late in the season. Chicago has been to the playoffs just four times since the start of the 1995 season. Only Oaklaand (three), Houston (two) and Cleveland (one) have fewer appearances in that span. Gordon Hayward Celtics Jersey. . The Bears thought they had a contender with a prolific offence returning intact and a rebuilt defence in tow. But little went right for Chicago. Trestman, who was hired to get the most out of Cutler, even benched the highly paid quarterback in favour of Jimmy Clausen for the second-to-last game of the season against Detroit. Cutler wound up starting the final game after Clausen suffered a concussion against the Lions, adding another chapter to a season-long soap opera. The Bears joined the 1923 Rochester Jeffersons as the only teams to give up 50 or more points in back-to-back games in losses to New England and Green Bay. Defensive end Lamarr Houston also suffered a season-ending knee injury celebrating a meaningless sack against the Patriots. While the new general managers most immediate task is to find a coach, some big decisions about the roster loom. Topping that list is Cutler, who signed a $126 million, seven-year contract at the end of last season and then tied Philip Rivers for the league lead with 18 interceptions. The deal, which guaranteed $54 million, makes him difficult if not impossible to trade. Another possibility is cutting him. Wide receiver Brandon Marshalls future with the team is also in question even though he signed a three-year extension through 2017 last May. And a defence that ranked among the leagues worst the past two years under co-ordinator Mel Tucker still needs a major upgrade. The overhaul that brought in Jared Allen among others last off-season did not pay off, and a spotty draft record by Emery and predecessor Jerry Angelo left the Bears lacking depth. ___ Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '