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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. "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
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Gasol faced his former team for the first time, but a
showdown with Kobe Bryant will have to wait. Gasol had 23
points and 13 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls routed the
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Topic: orner with a strikers finish.
