n Phaneuf, who hails from Edmonton and was invited to Hockey Canadas orientation camp in the summer, "so Im in the middle, thats

GLENDALE, Ariz. Ben Wallace Jersey . -- George Gosbee and Anthony LeBlanc fulfilled every Canadian boys dream last week by becoming NHL owners. But before they had even completed the deal to buy the Phoenix Coyotes from the league, Gosbee, LeBlanc and their partners were already in the crosshairs. The issue was the five-year out clause they put in an arena lease agreement with the city of Glendale. On one hand, they understood the consternation; Coyotes fans had gone through an emotional roller coaster in four years of waiting for an owner. What bothered the members of IceArizona was that they had no intention of moving the team. That would mean they had lost $50 million in their new venture and had failed, something none of them have had much experience with. "Its frustrating for me because for this exit clause to kick in, we have to lose $50 million and thats not something I want to do," Gosbee said. "We came into this to build a successful organization in Phoenix and thats our plan. We have no plans of relocating anywhere else and we have no plans to lose $50 million, I can tell you that." For LeBlanc, buying the Coyotes completed an arduous quest that lasted more than four years. He started his career as a salesman for a regional cellphone company in New Brunswick and later joined Research in Motion just as it was developing the Blackberry. LeBlanc worked his way up through the ranks in eight years with the company, becoming a marketing executive before leaving in 2008 to pursue his dream of owning a hockey team. He started Ice Edge Holdings with a goal of bringing a major junior or minor league team to Thunder Bay, Ontario, where his family moved when he was 10. After former Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes took the team into bankruptcy in 2009, LeBlanc shifted his focus toward the Valley of the Sun. His initial effort, with partner Daryl Jones, fell through, as did a minority ownership with Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer. LeBlanc also was working with former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison in his attempt to buy the team. When Jamisons bid fell through in January, LeBlanc decided to take one more crack at buying the Coyotes. This time, he and Jones brought in Gosbee, a Calgary businessman whose specialty was completing complicated financial transactions. "If George didnt get involved, we wouldnt have bought this team, its as simple as that," LeBlanc said. Gosbee grew up in Alberta and, like LeBlanc, spent his Saturday nights watching Hockey Night in Canada and loved playing shinny games with kids in the neighbourhood. His two sons are also accomplished hockey players; John plays for a Junior A team in Port Alberni, British Columbia, and Carter at a high-performance school in Calgary. Gosbee made his mark professionally in energy investment banking, handling mergers and acquisitions for numerous companies. Once he became a part of the group trying to buy the Coyotes, Gosbee put his background to perfect use, bringing in what had been lacking in previous deals: investors with hard cash to spend. Gosbees ability to close the deal earned him the moniker the Great Gosbee and helped him offset the devastation of having his Calgary home flooded out in June. "We had a good partnership and were able to put all the missing pieces together," said Gosbee, who is now looking to buy homes in Calgary and Phoenix. "I thought if I was able to deliver the last piece to it, I was comfortable with it (being called the deal saviour), but there was a lot of legwork done before I got there." Though theyve only known each other since Gosbee came on board in February, the two have become fast friends. Gosbee and LeBlanc have the common bond of being Canadians who love hockey and have reached the upper echelons of their fields of expertise. Theyre also different in ways that complement each other: LeBlanc the gregarious salesman, Gosbee the calculating businessman. "I would say it was the perfect partnership," said Gosbee, the teams new governor. "Were similar in some aspects. Hes got some strengths Ill never get near to and I think I have some strengths where he doesnt have the experience with, so its a great combination." The task ahead for Gosbee and LeBlanc is making the Coyotes a successful venture in a market that has, at times, been nonchalant in its support for hockey. When the team is winning, the fans will latch onto the bandwagon, as they did when the Coyotes went to the Western Conference finals two years ago. Gosbee and LeBlanc gave general manager Don Maloney more financial leeway in this years free-agent period -- he was able to lure top-line forward Mike Ribeiro to the desert -- and plan to give him a bigger bankroll in the years to come. While being run by the NHL, the Coyotes had limited marketing options, so now the new owners have started aggressively marketing the team to increase suite and season-ticket sales, along with corporate sponsorships. With a competitive team, better marketing and a firm ownership group in place, Gosbee and LeBlanc believe hockey can be successful in the Valley. "We have a really strong hockey side of the business," said LeBlanc, who is working on getting his immigration status cleared before buying a home in Arizona. "Im not going to sit here and guarantee were going to go to the playoffs or win the Stanley Cup, but I will guarantee this is a franchise that is going to play hard and be competitive every night. You have that and strong ownership, those two things are the litmus test you need." Now that they own the team, its time for Gosbee and LeBlanc to see if they can pass the test and make the out clause a moot point. Dennis Rodman Jersey . Despite Arsenals financial firepower, the 31-year-old midfielder was the only arrival in the January transfer window. Signed until the end of the season as injury cover, Kallstrom might not be fit until mid-March after arriving Friday at Arsenal having injured his back earlier in the week while training with Spartak Moscow. Luke Kennard Jersey . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. http://www.basketballpistonsauthority.com/ . -- Henry Josey watched helplessly from the sideline last fall, rehabbing from a serious knee injury, while Missouri was getting pushed around in its first SEC season.TORONTO – Dave Bolland did not hesitate when asked who would win on Friday. "Canada," Bolland said with a smile. "Is that a question?" One day earlier, though, fellow Toronto Maple Leafs centre Nazem Kadri wasnt so sure his home and native land could pull off the win against the United States in the semi-finals of the Olympic hockey tournament. "I want to say Canada, but to be honest with you, the U.S. looks better," Kadri, a native of London, Ont., said. "We dont know if Naz is Canadian or American," Bolland, from Mimico, Ont., said with a chuckle. "We dont know what he is or who hes cheering for. He could be cheering for the Belarusians." Roommate Turmoil The North American rivalry has many fault lines throughout the Leafs dressing room even though a vast majority of the players – 20 in total – are Canadian. The issue: two of the key players on Team USA are also two-thirds of Torontos top line: Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk. The man who centres that line in the NHL, Reginas Tyler Bozak, may be the Leaf who is most torn. After all, Bozak is close friends with Kessel and actually lives with the Leafs leading scorer. "Thats a tough question for me to answer," Bozak admitted when asked where his loyalties lie. "Ive got my two wingers on the U.S. and Im Canadian so I guess Im cheering for both. I just hope Phil and JVR play really well and maybe Canada wins. I dont know. "Its going to be an exciting game to watch, for sure. I really cant make any predictions. I dont know. The U.S. has been playing great. Canadas kind of snuck by with a few wins, buut every games different and it should be a fun one to watch. Custom Detroit Pistons Jerseys. " Another set of roommates are also at odds over the game and are actually putting their money where their mouthes are. Defencemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner, from Vancouver and Minnetonka, MN respectively, have placed a friendly wager on the game. "I cant tell you what it is," Rielly said. "Hes overconfident. I think Team Canada will be fine." Most Leafs, however, were trying to take the diplomatic approach with head coach and Sudbury, Ont. native Randy Carlyle, acknowledging the semi-final showdown "was pulling your heart strings in different directions." The Diplomatic Approach "We hope and wish our players all the luck in the world as far as an organization," said Carlyle, "but I am Canadian." "I hope that Phil and JVR do well," said captain Dion Phaneuf, who hails from Edmonton and was invited to Hockey Canadas orientation camp in the summer, "so Im in the middle, thats for sure. Any time you have teammates competing, you want them to do well, but Im Canadian and I have lots of respect for Hockey Canada." What everyone can agree on is that Kessel and van Riemsdyk are having a much better Sochi experience than Nikolai Kulemin, who was the other Leaf taking part in the Winter Games. "Nobody asks questions about how youre going to feel about Nikolai Kulemin coming back and thats a tough one," said Carlyle. "Host country and the way their tournament unravelled, hes part of our hockey club and weve got to find a way to build him back up and get him going again." Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Wholesale NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2019 Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '