The Tambellini name is well known in the hockey world. cheap nfl jerseys china . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. Hes had years of experience and knows how to handle any situation with ease. But when it comes to asserting himself into his son Adams hockey career with the Western Hockey Leagues Calgary Hitmen, the Tambellini patriarch has been silent. "Adam being an older guy and coming from a hockey family, I havent had any interaction with the family other than saying hello," said Hitmen head coach Mike Williamson. "Steve and his family know our organization (and) feel comfortable with Adam coming here. "Hes very quiet. Lets us do our business. Hes more of a fan than a dad, more so than people think." Adam is the youngest child to bear the Tambellini name. Drafted 65th overall by the New York Rangers last year, he went the collegiate route and started his rookie season with the University of North Dakota last September. But 16 games into the campaign, Adam had a change of heart. He turned to his most trusted advisors - his father and brother Jeff - for some guidance. As a family, they made the decision that Adams future was best served in the Canadian Hockey League, with its heavier schedule and more opportunity to play. The Portland Winterhawks owned Adams rights, but Adam made it known his preference was to go to Calgary. The Hitmen jumped at the chance to acquire him, trading their 2014 first-round bantam pick to get him. And it was a decision that Williamson says has already paid off. "The reason he came is because he wanted to play more hockey," he said. "To develop his consistency and play a tougher schedule and get used to that day-to-day grind. Hes come in and fit in really well. Hes given us some depth in the middle on the ice, hes given us a scoring threat, he puts the puck in the net or can set somebody else up." And Adams actions have spoke volumes. On the day he was traded to Calgary, he drove to Winnipeg and then flew to Saskatoon for his first game with the Hitmen - and finished the night with four points. Whats more impressive is that in 19 games so far, he already has 27 points. "I want to get stronger and develop my game as much as possible," said Tambellini. "Playing this pro-style level, its going to lead onto the AHL and one day hopefully the NHL. Again I will be playing against men in those leagues, so getting stronger is the number one thing." At 63 and 185 pounds, Adams been told by the Rangers that he has to get stronger. Hes a known playmaker - a skilled centre who can play a two-way game and also carries a great shot. But Williamson says he has to grow into his frame and like most other junior players, he has to become more consistent. Adams also spent some time in the offseason working out with his older brother Jeff. The elder Tambellini, who played six seasons in National Hockey League before heading to MoDo of the Swedish Elite League, runs Factory Hockey, a business that helps develop hockey players from the minors up to the NHL. And while father Steve remains close to Adam, its Jeff that has been his biggest role model. "We are different players," said Adam. "He always tells me theres says theres no right or wrong way to get to the NHL. Obviously with him he didnt have the longest career but six long seasons is quite the accomplishment and I look up to him more than anyone." As for his father, Adam wants to make his own name in hockey without the help of his father. He doesnt name drop or use it to get ahead. But he does always take to heart his fathers best piece of advice, which is simply to be a pro every day on the ice and off the ice. "To me, hes just my dad, just another father who has helped me along in my hockey career," he explained. "Obviously with his background hes got ties to the hockey world. Hes been a great supporter but has been a quiet impact on my life and around the rink." jerseys from china . -- Ted Ligety has been brazenly bashing skiings governing body for what he feels is an infringement on his livelihood. cheap nfl jerseys .Y. - Geno Smith still thinks of himself as the New York Jets starting quarterback.At a Noon press conference today, Canada Basketball brought Canadian basketballs estranged son back into the fold. As of today, Steve Nash will act as the general manager of the Canada Basketball, instantly bringing more credibility to the program than its had, arguably, since Nashs Olympic run with the team in 2000. Bringing Nash back to the program is widely seen as the first step in a two-step process (the other is reinstating Jay Triano as the teams head coach) for Team Canada as it looks to bounce back from a string of poor performances in international competition in recent years. The hope is that Nash will be able to seduce the next generation of Canadian stars (guys like Tristan Thompson, Myck Kabongo and Andrew Wiggins) to play for the team in a bid to bring the program at least to the level of second-tier international counterparts like Brazil, Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. While they are a long way from being mentioned in the same breath as Argentina, Spain or the USA, there is no reason that Canada, given its emerging pool of talent, cannot become a relevant player on the international stage over the next half-dozen years, and Nash has been tasked, in part, to help attract the talent to make that happen. That said, Nash has yet to prove that his NBA star power will act as a magnet to Canadas best players, especially in light of the fact that many of these up-and-coming players are too young to remember Nashs Olympic push with the team. However, Team Canada needed to do something to demonstrate its commitment to tapping the best in its meager well of name talent and going after the most famous Canadian basketball player in NBA history is a pretty good place to start. Now its up to Nash to take his new position and do something meaningful with it. Of course, Nashs return to Canada has opened up the door to questions about whether or not this is just the first announcement hell be making in Toronto this summer. While Nash as a de facto ambassador for Team Canada is a nice side gig, Nash is still very much a relevant force at his day job; being an NBA point guard. Despite turning 38 this season, Nash still finished in the top-10 in PER amongst point guards in the league, was second in the league in assists per game and had an utterly pedestrian Phoenix Suns roster within sniffing distance of the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Western Conference. There is no doubt that the Raptors are going make like Canada Basketball and push to acquire Nash this summer as a free agent and they are probably better poised to make it happen than most fans currently realize. First of all, it sounds increasingly like Nash and the Suns are ready to part ways. The Suns need to take a step back and accept a full-on rebuilding mode, and they are sitting on a mountain of cap space this summer which could help them accelerate the process - but only if they choose to let veterans like Nash and Grant Hill walk away this summer while they focus on youth and development. Second of all, the expectation that Nash would only leave Phoenix to pursue a title is based on faulty logic. Most contending and pseudo-contending teams (San Antonio, Chicago, Boston, Oklahoma City, Denver, Philadelphia, Memphis, the L.A. Clippers) are set at point guard, while Miami needs post-play more than playmaking and the Lakers are in the weeds with their cap and seem content skew younger while they transition to an Andrew Bynum-centric future. Sure, up-and-comers like Indiana and Utah have the flexibility to make a push for him, but its unclear how attractive either of those cities are to a metropolitan guy like Nash. The hitch in the Raptors bid to lure Nash to Toronto was always suppossed to be New York. wholesale jerseys. Its Nashs offseason home, its as vibrant a market as there is in the NBA and they have a desperate need for a playmaker to orchestrate their broken-down offense. However, the problems with the Knicks are threefold. One, they let Nashs guy Mike DAntoni go, and Nash is fiercely loyal to those whove helped him succeed (remember Nash turning his back on Team Canada when they arbitrarily fired Jay Triano?). Two, Carmelo Anthony does not want to play in a democratic offense; he wants to be fed a steady diet of isolation plays, which would significantly limit the need for Nashs greatest talent. Three, the Knicks have zero cap flexibility going forward, and so not only would Nash have to sign for below market value to play in New York, hed have to accept that whatever the team has now is what they are going to have moving forward, and that is not going to put them anywhere near an NBA title. Which brings us back around to Toronto. Lets make this clear right now: Nash wont win a ring in Toronto. At 38, he simply doesnt have enough years left in his body to make that journey. However, he could take a young and intriguing roster from his home country and bring them back to prominence, rapidly accelerating the growth of several players in the process, while also earning a salary at the high-end of his market value. The Raptors are one of the few teams that are both in a position to offer Nash the 3-year/$30-million deal that figures to be his asking price while also being motivated to offer it. Heck, the dollars hed bring back to the team in terms of ticket and merchandise sales alone would almost be enough to justify such a contract for Toronto given Nashs popularity in Canada, leaving his tremendous on-court benefits as a nice added bonus. There is also no doubt that the Raptors would be motivated to offer him a lifeline to a career in management after the NBA, too, as his ties to Bryan Colangelo and now Canada Basketball would make such a transition an obvious addendum to any offer with the Raptors. And not that this matters to Nash, but there is also the fact that while he would be welcomed in several other NBA markets, he would be adored in Toronto and Canada. While other teams would see him as a missing piece to put them over the top (coupled with all of the pressure that comes along with such a role), in Toronto hed simply be revered for being exactly what he is: Canadas greatest basketball player suiting up for Canadas lone NBA franchise. Toronto cant offer him a path to a ring, but that doesnt mean they dont have anything to offer. It also helps that his estimated asking price falls perfectly in line with what the Raptors could free-up if they amnestied Jose Calderon, their current starting point guard, so acquiring Nash would not demand a sacrifice in some other area of offseason roster improvement, like netting a starting-caliber small forward. If they nab Nash, they literally replace Calderon with him, if they dont they keep Calderon and the rest of their plans continue on unabated. For today, though, Nash has merely returned to Canada in an international basketball capacity. His presence with the national team is a welcome addition and well see if it bears fruit down the road. However, for basketball fans in Canada they hope that he makes at least one more trip to Toronto this summer, one that more directly utilizes Nashs known skill set. Maybe it doesnt happen, but its worth it for fans to realize that it happening is not as impossible as they perhaps thought it was. Stay tuned because the closer we get to July 1st and the start of free agency the hotter this story is going to get for both Nash and the Toronto Raptors. ' ' '